Alpha's Harvest Moon
by Joy12908
Summary: After returning to the love she knew she was meant for all along, Bella has been taken by the Volturi. Will Jake and the pack be able to save her in time? What will be the price paid by all? *Story set after BD and as part two to "Backsliding."* Please read as a follow up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: As promised, this is the beginning of part two for "Backsliding." I hope you all enjoy!**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**(JPOV)**

**Twenty-Four Days...**

**Thirty-Eight Days...**

**Fifty-Two Days...**

I stood on dads porch, looking ahead at the freshly fallen snow, it's light coating barely being enough to cover the colorful leaves underneath on the forest floor. The house was full of people just behind me, but I felt utterly alone without Bella. The last seven weeks had been hell. Sam and I had mapped out every angle of our approach to Volterra, holding meetings and rallying the numbers we desperately needed for an attack of that size, but every plan had the same dead fucking end as the last one did. After the fourth and last failed attempt, Sam had hung his head and asked for a few days to regroup before coming up with another route to execute. The situation seemed damn impossible without us losing some, if not most, of our own. That was a risk neither one of us were willing to take and I'd lost all fucking patience with the wait and see approach a long time ago. I didn't want to lead us into a bloodbath, a massacre that would ruin our lands and our families who were left behind, but I had to get her back. One way or another. With all of them at my side, or on my own. I could feel the wolf trying to be set free almost every hour I was awake and I was beginning to think that I should cut my ties with the others and follow that instinct alone. That I'd be better off in doing so.

Sam wasn't a fool. He had me under watch lately because he knew how fucking desperate I was becoming. The last time I'd set out on my own, I had barely made it out of Washington before Seth and Paul caught up with me and demanded that they go along. I was damn tempted to let them and keep going, but one long look at Seth made me think of Sue and how truly devastated she would be if her boy didn't come back from this. I wouldn't be able to look her in the face again, knowing I could have stopped him from going in the first place. Against everything in me, I went back to the Reservation with them as angry as I'd ever been and spent the evening drawing up a new plan of action. One that didn't include anyone.

I'd be flying solo. That's the way I wanted it and the only way I could ensure the rest of the packs safety.

"There you are! What are you doing out here all by yourself? Are you heading out already?" Rachel called out from behind me, ripping me away from my thoughts when she approached me with a glass of hot apple cider in her hand. "Thought maybe you'd like some?"

"No thanks. I should be going." I quietly replied.

"It's not even seven yet. Billy and Charlie have been asking where you disappeared to. Come back inside. Please?"

"Rach, I just can't be in there right now." I admitted, finding it hard to talk around the solid lump in my throat. "Hurts too much."

"She's not gone." Rachel softly reminded me, wrapping her arms around my waist in a hug.

"She's not here with me where she belongs either." I hoarsely countered.

"Have you and Sam come up with something else with the elders aid now? Paul said something to me about how having their support could be the key to taking this fight to them?" She hopefully inquired.

"No, every time we try, we hit another roadblock. Another unforeseen factor that could end each one of us once in Volterra." I angrily countered, kicking the snow off my boot and seeing her shrink back some from my harsh tone.

"You don't think you can beat them?"

I met her fearful gaze and swallowed hard, not wanting to lie to her, but hating to fill her with that kind of worry at the same time.

"There's a damn good chance it will be a fucking slaughter if we don't play our cards right. Their powerful."

"So are you." She quipped, looking up at me with such pride. It was the very same way my mother used to look at me when I were a boy. "I think they've stupidly underestimated you and I think their going to pay for it."

I tore my gaze away from her, focusing on the forest straight ahead and trying not to show my reaction to her words. If she had any inkling of what I was planning to do, she'd run to Paul with it and they would all intervene before I had the chance to carry it out. I couldn't have that. Bella's life depended on it and I wouldn't fail her.

"You should go back inside. Cold out here." I suggested, trying to change the direction of this conversation.

"I have you for that little brother." She sighed, pressing herself into me with a shudder.

"I'm so damn glad you stayed, Rach. You have no idea what it means to dad. He's been thrilled these past few months with you here all the time. I don't think I've seen him smile that wide in a long time. It's nice to see the two of you getting closer. He needs that."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm just sad that I wasted all that precious time with him before." She sorrowfully replied.

"That's okay. Don't dwell on that. You two can grow in your relationship and make new memories. Better ones even. Promise me you won't take off like the last time? It would crush him, you know?"

"I promise. He needs the both of us, Jacob. I hope you know that."

"I do." I tensely replied, pulling back and glancing down into her unsuspecting face. She was happier than I'd seen her since before mom passed away and Paul was responsible for it. I had him to thank for trying to mend that broken heart of hers after all this time. He'd been slowly piecing it back together. I'd watched him with her since the imprint took hold, and he was always being sure that she was okay. He made her laugh and he reached for her hand whenever they were close enough to touch. The same way I had always done with Bella. His love for her was as real as it was true, and she was starting to figure out just how deep a bond like that could go. She was learning how not to run from what scared her, or pushed her toward something new and unfamiliar, but to stay and face it. To become rooted right where she was. She'd matured a lot since dad's stroke and she had stepped up for him in ways I couldn't right now. I was more than grateful to her for that.

I studied her beautiful features, seeing so much of my mother in every one of them and knowing that deep down, she still carried mom's fire and strength, and it would see her through anything life threw at her down the road.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She nervously asked, meeting my gaze with suspicion clear in her own. I shook my head and released her, knowing that if I didn't, she would soon catch on that something were off with me and the long line of questions would begin.

"No reason. I'm just proud of you is all. I really am."

"Why are you proud of me? I've screwed up in more ways-..."

"Doesn't matter anymore. You showed up when it really counted and you stayed this time. You didn't take off. That means everything." I assured her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I know you're technically older and the big sister and all, but I've always felt it should have been the other way around."

"It kind of is. Due to your size! No one dares to mess with me for that fact alone." She lightly teased with a nudge to my side.

"True." I agreed. "They wouldn't want to."

"Is this about Paul? Are you doubting things between the two of us?"

"No, I think he's right for you. In ways I would've never imagined but you're happy. He makes you happy. I can see that."

"He does." She cautiously replied with a heavy sigh.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Of course not. I'm just not used to it is all. The few guys I dated when I was away from home, well let's just say they were control freaks, and that would be putting it lightly."

I straightened at the timid way she said this, her simple and dismissive shrug, not settling the unease swirling around in my gut.

"Someone I need to pay a visit to?" I tensely hedged.

"No, I took care of it. Don't worry."

"If you say so."

"You would be the first person I'd tell if I were in some kind of trouble." She sincerely stated, as I wrapped a tight arm around her shoulders.

"Good."

"So, you're really okay with me and Paul then?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm happy for you, Rach. I know he'll be good to you and that he'll take care of you."

She paused by the front door, something in my tone seeming to catch her attention as I turned to go.

"Jake, wait." She asked, taking hold of my arm and trying to pull me back up the steps. "You're not leaving early to go somewhere else are you?"

"I told you, it's hard for me to be in there. Seeing everyone so happy is painful and I hate feeling that way. I'm better off on my own for a while. Don't want to spoil the Thanksgiving feast for everyone else."

"You're not, besides, there's still so much food left! Emily has at least half a dozen more pies that haven't even been cut into yet! You didn't eat much at dinner."

"Not hungry." I sighed, pulling my arm out of her hold and refusing to meet her gaze. "Go back in and enjoy the evening. Tell everyone I said goodbye. Will you do that for me?"

She reluctantly nodded in return and slowly opened the house door with a concerned look on her face.

"Don't do something stupid, Jake. I love you and dad loves you. We need you."

I turned without a word to her then and headed for the darkened woods, my destination clear with one returning thought to her innocent plea.

_… and I need Bella._

**_A/N: Thank you for reading and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :-) Please leave a review with your thoughts. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

**(BPOV)**

I stared numbly at the woman peering back at me in the full length mirror, my own reflection making me shudder as I took in the sight of the mockery before me. My pale lips were covered in a creamy red lipstick, my lashes thickly coated with mascara, my long hair falling around my shoulders in loose curls and the form fitting, barely thigh length, black dress, leaving very little to the imagination while it clung to my fading form.

I hadn't eaten anything solid in days. I could barely stomach water as it was.

I swallowed thickly as the bile rose in my throat while I stood there, my trembling legs making it hard to stand securely on the ridiculous spiked heels Alice had slipped onto my bare feet just moments ago.

"Try not to think about it." She chimed from behind me and it was all I could do not to scream at her, but I simply didn't have the energy that would require. I'd been drained of it all weeks ago.

"I can't stop thinking about him. You're asking the impossible from me."

"You'll only make it worse on yourself, Bella. Edward will be back shortly to meet us for the festivities down in the main room with Aro. He has a long evening planned."

"Does he, now?" I bitterly quipped, turning away from her abruptly and retreating closer to the fireplace, my eyes greedily taking in the flames and wishing I could burn in there with them.

"Yes, indeed he does. You see, today marks the date for the Feast of St. Nicholas to begin. Aro is prompt for these kinds of events. It draws in hundreds to Volterra for the festivities alone. There's a tree lighting ceremony, and some games for the children to enjoy with their families, as well as the banquet dinner and dancing he holds in the main room."

I tried not to throw up as I closed my eyes and remembered the truly shrilling screams of all the unsuspecting people Aro had slaughtered the last time I'd been here. When I'd left everything behind in Forks to save Edward. What a misguided choice that had been.

"You make it sound enjoyable. You know full well what they intend to do at the end of this mock celebration. Don't play stupid for my benefit. I remember."

She shook her head to me in disapproval as I stated the obvious to her.

"Must you be so determined to ruin everything? I have always cared greatly for you, Bella. You're like my own sister." She sighed, reaching out to touch my cheek. I moved away from her, my eyes cold when they glared her way.

"Don't touch me."

She dropped her porcelain hand in defeat and sat down on the edge of the bed, her short pixie hair perfectly done up with a diamond clip on the side, and her red dress matching that of something you'd see on a red carpet premier, instead of something you'd wear for the bloodbath this would surely all turn into at midnight.

"I understand you're still upset."

"Upset!?" I harshly snapped, my skin heating from the anger I felt, even though I knew the change wouldn't come. No matter how much I tried to force it, or how much I needed it.

I hadn't been able to phase in weeks now. Whatever cocktail Aro had created with Edward, had worked. It had surely done it's job in keeping me nothing more than a weak and feeble human who was helpless, and held against her will in this hell of a prison.

"Oh Bella, don't be so over dramatic." She dismissively stated. "You should be more grateful that Edward and I were able to convince Aro and Felix to spare your father and Billy when they sought out their vengeance back home."

I felt my vision sting and blur from the heated tears that hastily rolled down my cheeks from her thoughtless and casual reply. As if she were clueless of the pain that they brought forth. The lashing and biting agony that would ripple through me like that of acid being poured over skin.

"Stop." I choked out, harshly tugging at the roots of my hair as the memory of Edwards bloody return from Washington three days ago, ran fresh through my head. His pressed white shirt and navy dress pants covered in a thick crimson that ran out onto the floor when he approached me, his face contorted in a satisfied and sickening expression as he looked my way.

"It is done. Now we can move on." He boldly declared, as I stared back at him with what felt like an endless scream pouring from my dry throat.

"You're lying!"

He moved faster than my eyes could follow then, his bloody fingertips holding up the stained wolf charm in front of me in a taunting fashion.

"I believe this is yours?"

I couldn't blink or breathe as he dropped it in my palm. The tangible feel of the charm bracelet in my hand, making me shake violently, as I recalled where I had left it in Jacobs house on the Reservation the night we got the call about Billy being in the hospital. I had placed it on his nightstand for safe keeping. ]

I trembled in fear that this was proof that Edward wasn't bluffing.

"...you didn't. You couldn't." I choked out, as my insides shattered, looking to him and back at the wolf charm I clutched tightly to my chest.

"How else would I have retrieved that for you?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You said Aro wanted him alive!" I yelled. "That he had plans for him!"

"Plans are subject to change."

"I don't believe you! He wouldn't go down that easy. He is stronger than you think."

"Who said it was easy?" Edward coldly countered, the red on his hands being highlighted from the fires glow ahead as he spoke.

A despair I'd never known wrapped itself around me then as I dared to demand he give me a straight answer.

"Did you kill him!?" I gasped out into the space between us, my mind filling with Jacob and what I knew still to be true, despite the way  
Edwards sinister smile graced his face, that we were connected. That the bond I shared with Jacob ran deep in me enough to echo his own feelings, to mirror his own pain, because what hurt him, hurt me. It was that simple. It always had been and now, even more so. I glared at Edward, seeing the smile fade from him as he studied my expression, seeming to pick up on the change in me as I pondered this. If he had killed Jacob like he was triumphantly claiming he'd done, I would've sensed it, felt it in every fibre of who I was and I hadn't. We would forever be connected in a way Edward could not change or erase.

"Would you like proof?"

I looked again at the blood that soaked his clothes and tried to hold onto that solid connection. The one that whispered to me in the dead of night, "I'm coming for you, honey." I cringed as the fear of the unknown painfully twisted inside me while I thought of all the others in La'Push. Paul, Seth, Sue, Sam, Emily, Billy... my father. I held his gaze, trying not to imagine whose blood now stained his clothing, because no matter who it belonged to, they were someone's everything. Someone's brother or sister. Someone's husband or best friend. Someone's father or mother. They were all extensions of Jacob in one way or the other, and they all mattered greatly to him and to me.

"No." I countered, dropping my gaze to the wolf charm that I still held tightly in my hand.

"Things could have been so different, you know? Had you just stayed with me. None of this would've happened."

"You're wrong." I replied.

"How do you figure? You left me no choice but to intervene-..."

"No matter how you twist this, you can't put the innocent blood of others on me. You had a choice and you chose wrong. Just like I did when I married you."

I heard his responding hiss, but didn't bother to look up at him.

"You were of your own free will when you took those vows. When you asked me to change you!" He yelled, getting to his feet and swiftly approaching me.

"Yes, but I was wrong. I loved Jacob. Even then."

"He can't give you half of what I can. This life of immortality is sought after by many. The luxuries are endless. Does that not appeal to you at all?"

"Not in the least." I admitted.

"He really has played with your mind, hasn't he? Brainwashed you into thinking that his ordinary way of living is for you. It's absurd."

I watched him leave the room without another word and when I was certain he couldn't hear or see me, I let out the sob I'd been holding back.

"Bella!" Alice snapped suddenly from beside me, effectively pulling me away from my thoughts, her golden gaze narrowing as she looked my way. "Are you even listening to me?"

I didn't respond and she huffed, while she fussed over the makeup that was now running and a mess from my tears.

"I spent time getting you prepared for this evening!"

"...so I can lead those innocent people to their death? Like the lamb to the slaughter?" I whispered.

"I agree that Aro has some tactics that are a bit theatrical, but...-"

"Theatrical? Have you lost all sense compassion, Alice? This isn't who you are!"

She looked at me with a sense of regret that I hadn't seen since she arrived here then, her gaze lowering to the ground as she turned away from me.

"All of us have sacrifices we need to make to protect the ones we love."

There was something in the way she said this that caught my attention and I quickly stepped in front of her.

"What are you not telling me, Alice? What sacrifice are you making and who are you protecting?"

"You know why I'm here." She timidly stated, snatching the brush in her hand and tending to the curls in my hair.

"Did Aro threaten you? Is that why you agreed to be here?"

"I came willingly."

"For a purpose?" I hastily inquired.

She set the brush down and refused to look at me, her actions telling me that I was getting close and that I needed to dig deeper to get the truth from her.

"Aro has requested we be at his head table before six. It's already nearing five-thirty. You know better than to keep him waiting. We should get going."

"You did this for Jasper, didn't you? Aro threatened to destroy him if you didn't join. Is that it?"

"Leave Jasper out of this." She snapped.

"...because he would never let you walk away from him like this without coming after you."

"Stop looking for reasons that don't exist and believe what I tell you." She stubbornly insisted.

"I wont and I refuse to believe that you had such a part in all this. I think Edward coaxed you into helping him and it cost you everything. I think that's why you're here."

"You don't know anything."

"I know enough about you to know that you would never step aside while Aro and the others killed the innocent like they plan to this evening. The Alice I know would fight to the end to stop that from happening. Even if it meant giving up her own existence for the cause. Are you trying to convince me that you're no longer that person, or are you trying to convince yourself?"

She looked at me long and hard, her indecision flickering across her perfect face several times, before she leaned in close with her nearly inaudible reply.

"I am still the Alice you remember. You just can't see her right now, but she's here. I have a plan and if you want to get out of this alive and back to Jacob, you will follow my lead and do as I say. If you don't, Aro will surely kill you, Bella, and he'll make Jacob watch. It's the kind of ruthless and merciless leader he's always been. The wolves have no idea the kind of force they are all up against, but I do."

"Are you telling me that Edward didn't follow Aro back to La'Push and he didn't-"

"Edward doesn't like to get his hands dirty unless absolutely necessary. The blood you saw before was from an animal. He did it to scare you. To keep you in line and make you think that he took care of things. I assure you, Jacob and the pack are okay."

I took hold of her then, my grip desperate from her words.

"Wh-what do you mean? How can you assure me that? Ha-Have you seen him? Seen the others?"

She nodded once and handed me a long cloak, her returning instructions simple.

"Put this on."

"No, Alice. Answer me! I have to know that he's okay."

She slid her petite arms into the heavy black cloak she carried for herself, quickly placing the hood over her head to shadow her face and keep it better hidden from plain sight.

"You're going to have to take me at my word. So, no more questions. We have somewhere to be."

She skillfully helped me into my own cloak, the length of it overwhelming me, as she opened the stone door and gestured for me to follow her. I hesitantly trailed behind her, the endless and damp halls making me shiver when we rounded a corner to be met with Felix and Demetri.

"Aro is ready for your arrival. The festivities have already begun and the guests outside are eager for their tour." Felix stated.

I could hear the many people cheering all the way in here, the rowdy crowds that filled the streets making me want to scream in warning for them all to run and never look back.

"We had a far larger turnout than was originally expected." Demetri darkly chuckled.

"All the more to feast on." Felix countered.

I placed a hand over my mouth, tucking my cloak down further around my face, as Alice merely nodded to them and tugged me swiftly along behind her.

When we reached the tall doors that led to the main room, she turned herself around and gripped me firmly by the shoulders.

"I meant what I said before, Bella. You follow my every lead in there tonight and you may stand a chance."

I looked at her, recalling all the times I had considered her to be my friend, my sister at times even. Someone I could trust, despite what she was. Only now I wasn't so sure.

"Is this another one of your traps?"

"No." She hissed sharply in reply.

"Then tell me one thing. Are we allies or enemies? Cause I need to know the difference before we go in there." I demanded.

"I don't expect you to trust me after what I've done. There are so many reasons why you shouldn't. But I speak only the truth when I tell you that I knew when I came back to Charlies after my brother had left you, and I thought you'd thrown yourself off that cliff, that what you'd built with Jacob was real. He put a fire in you when we were gone that couldn't be put out the way Edward had hoped it could. After you married my brother, we all had high hopes that you would still want to become one of us, but I could see where your heart was all along. Jacob was the reason you couldn't commit to that change. It was your love for him all along that stopped you. You're meant for him and he's meant for you. In a world where magic and monsters aren't supposed to be real, but they are, the two of you have somehow created your own happiness."

"...like you and Jasper?"

She nodded and lifted the hood off my head, her thin fingers running through my hair with a regretful expression.

"You know, in a perfect universe, Jacob and I might even have been allies, but that's not the case here. I must admit, I admire his perseverance. He doesn't give up on things easily."

"No, he doesn't." I agreed.

She pulled at the string of her cloak and removed it with a sheepish grin to me.

"To answer your question from before, you and I are always going to be allies. Do you remember when we came here for Edward the first time and what my instructions were to you?"

"Y- Yes, but barely." I stammered, hearing the loud chime of the clock just above us ringing out the six o' clock hour and signaling the beginning of the evenings festivities.

She looked toward the door and quickly back to me, her eyes wide and her words quick.

"You go straight to the clock tower where you stopped Edward before. In the sea of costume black cloaks out there, look only for the white ones. They'll stand out in the crowd and the only ones wearing them are Sam and Jacob. I could only take the two without Aro noticing that they were missing."

My heart leapt into my throat at her words and my tears returned when I gasped my reply to her.

"Jacob's here? In Volterra?!"

"He'll be there when that clock strikes the midnight hour. When the marching stops from the parade, they know to mix in with the crowd and head for the clock tower. Until then, I need you to stick close to me and do everything I say? Got it?"

"Everything you say." I repeated, straightening my form and smoothing out my dress, just as the door swung open and the sound of Aro's chilling voice filtered out to us.

"Good evening!" He practically sang, his crimson eyes taking in the sight of us both with hunger in his gaze. "Shall we get started? Our guests are eagerly waiting."

I drew in a breath and took his offered hand without flinching, seeing Alice do the same with an assured glance my way. The table before us was filled with food and my stomach churned at the sight of the many families who were now gathered in the main room, sitting directly across from the rest of the Volturi. They were all dressed in costumes and had no idea that in a few short hours, they would be running for their lives with nowhere to run to and no way to escape.

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading and for your patience for this second chapter to be posted! We sure have a busy month ahead but there will be regular daily updates for this new story. It will be shorter in length but I hope to have it completed before Christmas arrives! Please leave a review with your thoughts! Will Jacob and Sam get to Bella before Alice's plan is discovered!?**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

**(JPOV)**

Everyone reaches a breaking point. There comes a time when they are faced with a definitive cross in the road. One where they have to choose which path to take, no matter the consequences. I was at that point. I had reached my end and I was done with waiting.

I snatched up the pile of papers that were carelessly strewn across my kitchen table, my eyes scanning over the last route I'd mapped out to Volterra, before hastily rolling it up and shoving it in the black duffle bag at my feet.

I was packed and ready for this. I had been for days now. I tossed the additional maps on top of the pile of clothes I'd thrown in there just this morning, my hands stilling when I touched the black sweatshirt now buried under the few pair of jeans I'd hurriedly chosen in my haste to get on the road as soon as I could.

Her smell was still in the warn fibers of it and I swallowed thickly when I tore it out of the bag and inhaled deeply. Her mere scent being enough to calm some of the inner ache and turmoil that had settled itself over me for fucking weeks now.

"Hold on for me. I can still feel you. I know you're alive."

I pulled the sweatshirt over my head, the dark color matching the black T-shirt and jeans I wore. My goal was to blend in with the darkness of the night the best I could and to stay in human form just long enough to get the hell out of Washington, before Sam or any of the others could catch onto my plan and follow me. It didn't matter anymore, because even if they did, I was already set in my mind not to come back with any of them. No matter what kind of guilt trip or persuasion tactic they pulled. I wasn't caving this time and if that meant pulling Alpha rank and a fight between Sam and myself, as much as I hated it, I would do it. I'd defy him and command he stand down and go back with the rest. There was no third fucking option here and we were running out of time. I knew it just like I knew that everyday that passed without her, only made me embrace the wolf more and forget about the man. I needed that kind of fierce and violent rage he gave me to get her back and I'd destroy anything that got in the way of that.

I zipped up the heavy duffle bag and reached for the set of keys to the rental car I'd put my credit card on to sign out at Enterprise in Port Angeles earlier this afternoon. The rental costs and additional security deposits alone had taken a huge chunk out of my savings account. Billy had laid away as much as possible over the years in the hopes I'd one day attend college and I had added to it over time, knowing I would need it to fix up the rest of this house at some point.

I glanced out to the darkened drive and tugged the visor of my baseball cap down further while I clutched the shiny keys tightly in my hand. With the press of a button, the midnight black Ferrari roared to life outside and I felt the heat lick hastily up my spine from the sound.

I needed something no one would suspect I'd be in. Something fast as hell and that could I could use to get in and out of town without anyone believing it to be me behind the damn wheel. I reached in my back pocket, being sure I had my wallet, passport, credit card and anything else I deemed as needed for this five-thousand plus mile trip. I had hours of driving ahead of me and with the lack of sleep I'd been getting these days, I knew what a task it would be to get there without stopping for rest. I had every intention of trying to do just that.

I didn't have the fucking time to waste on sleep and I wanted my name attached to as little as possible. I didn't want to take the chance that anyone could track my location from the name and history of my credit card. I told the worker who had given me the keys to the Ferrari in Port Angeles, that if anyone called and asked about my whereabouts, I didn't want them released. She had assured me they wouldn't be. Claimed it would be against their breach of confidentiality agreements within one of the many damn wavers I had signed in order to rent it.

The sound of my cell phone vibrating on the counter made me pause by the front door, my bag still in hand as I looked back and debated on even taking it with me. The number on the screen flashed repeatedly and my whole body tensed in response.

It was Sam and I already knew why he was calling. By now, Rachel would have told Paul that I'd left early and he would've relayed the info. This meant I had minutes to get in the car and get the hell off the Reservation before they started looking for me. I grabbed the phone and threw open the front door, slamming it closed behind me and unlocking the awaiting Ferrari. I chucked the duffle in the passenger seat and was about to climb in when the sound of an approaching car forced me to look over my shoulder.

High beams crested the slight hilltop and soon rounded the corner. The sight of Charlie Cruiser made me wince and I fought with myself on whether I should just leave like I'd never seen him.

Shit... He was supposed to still be at Thanksgiving dinner with my father and everyone else. He'd followed me instead.

I watched as he pulled his old cruiser up to the side of the house, his brakes squeaking when he applied them to stop the car and climb out. He stood in front of me as I slowly turned to see his face awash with concern and grief. It was etched in every line there. The same way it had been for weeks. He was just as lost without Bella as I was. He'd spent countless nights over to Billy's pouring out his sorrows into the bottom of a Jack Daniels bottle and going into the station hungover the next morning. No one had the heart to tell him not to.

I saw his exhausted eyes narrow into tiny slits when he took a few steps closer, his hand reaching out to touch the car with a knowing look my way.

"Sam and Paul are on their way here. You better get on the road if you want to get a move on ahead of them." He sighed, pulling out his wallet and thrusting a wad of cash my way. "If I contribute to the cost of the trip, will you take me with you?"

I raised my head and struggled to hold his tormented gaze.

"Charlie-..."

"You're going to that demon city, right? Where they have her? Volterra?"

I nodded and he looked toward the desolate road that led us off the Reservation, his desperate tone making me think twice about my answer.

"I know you don't need me to go. That you can handle this without someone by your side, but I'm asking you as her father. Please, take me with you. I want to help in whatever way I can, Jake. She's my little girl and I can't fucking sit here and do nothing anymore."

I saw the tears form in his familiar brown eyes as he ran a hand through his greying hair and waited for my reply. I thought of Bells and how much she would hate to see him hurting like this and while I knew that what he'd said was true, I didn't need his companionship for this long road trip, I couldn't deny the fact that it was also true I did need someone with me who I could trust, and who had the authority of the law on his side if needed. Charlie was that man and more than that, I knew just how much the feeling of helplessness could wear on a person. He needed this and I needed him in ways I hadn't considered before right now.

I glanced toward the bordering tree line, sensing that they were closer than either one of us thought and my words to him were quick and few.

"Get in."

Charlie didn't hesitate as he let out a sigh of relief and jogged over to the passengers side. He jumped in as I took a final look around, catching the sight of movement in the trees and seeing Paul's wolf form step out just ahead. He didn't budge when his wolf gaze met mine. The two of us sharing a look before he disappeared back into the snow covered forest and let out a howl.

I cussed and jammed the keys into the ignition, my foot pressing down hard on the gas and whipping us out of the driveway fast enough to make the tires squeel on the wet asphalt below. Charlie reached for his seat belt and pointed to the road ahead.

"Go! I'll show you a shortcut to the highway."

I shifted the car into drive and tore off the Reservation, my eyes trained on the road ahead as my speed reached nearly sixty in town.

"Hold on." I told him, reaching over and tightening his seat belt with my free hand.

"Will they stop you? Sam and the rest of the pack?"

"They'll try, but I'm not stopping this time for anything. I'm getting her back, Charlie. One fucking way or another."

Charlie didn't respond, his eyes were wide as he pointed which side road to take in order for us to reach the highway the quickest. Once we we made it there, I glanced in the rearview mirror and cringed at the loud howling that echoed it's way out around me. Leaving them all behind was hard but being without Bella was harder. I couldn't ignore the guilt that lashed it's ugly head out at me for doing abandoning them all, but they had left me no choice.

I was going to Volterra and I wasn't coming back to La'Push without Bella.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and for all the kind reviews! There will be another chapter posted tonight! So, look for the second update for this story in a few more hours! Please feel free to leave a review for this chapter and tell me your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, so I have to laugh at myself for not only the spelling errors I already corrected from last chapter BUT for the completely ditzy moment of thinking Jacob could drive to Italy. LOL! I'm so sorry! There is the Atlantic Ocean between them after all! It's laughable and as you all know by now, my stories don't have a beta, so all mistakes are my own and I do try to correct them promptly when found or brought to my attention. Thank you to the guest reviewer who did this today! :-)**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**(JPOV)**

We drove until we were in Seattle and the conversation had been next to none as Charlie stared blankly out his window. He was deep in thought and I knew he was struggling to voice any of them to me. I saw him glance my way, his gaze soon focusing on my wrist intently. I pulled the sleeve down on my sweatshirt, effectively hiding the deep ink lined there in a pattern that spread up to my shoulder and had now spanned across my chest. Over the past three weeks, as midnight would approach, a searing pain would touch my skin and a new tattoo would appear there, all of them linking in an unknown design with the others.

The first time Sam had seen it out on patrol, he looked to me in alarm and studied it closely. He immediately shared my own suspicions, being convinced it was connected with Bella somehow. As it turned out, we were both right. A few nights later, I'd shown my father and he had called the elders, who told me about how the spirits would go to any lengths to save an imprint from a cold one, and that the fresh ink on my skin was a map that would lead me to her if I would just trust it enough to do so.

We had barely made it through the city when the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight and my skin began to heat. I hit the brakes and pulled the car over, switching on the hazards and seeing Charlie stare at me in confusion.

"Jake, what are you-?"

"Shh..." I hushed him, holding my hand up and unbuckling my seatbelt when the stomach churning smell filled the inside of the car. My eyes stung and my nose burned, as I got out and glared at the petite figure now standing over the yellow line in the middle of the empty street. Her porcelain face highlighted under the red stop light flashing just above her.

"What the hell do you want?" I snapped, my hands balling into tight fists at my sides.

"Take it easy, Jacob. I'm not here to cause you or Charlie any trouble. Seems there's enough of that going on already in these parts." Alice chimed, casually tilting her head to the side as she feigned an interest in the Ferrari behind me. "Nice ride. Rental? I personally prefer the cherry red Enzo Model myself, but to each their own, I suppose."

"I prefer you gone." I bitterly countered, seeing her offer up a tight smirk to me with a shake of her head.

"Must you always assume the worst in me, Jacob? Really? It can be offending after a while."

"I'll ask you again, what do you want, Alice? I don't have time for-"

"I know you don't have time for much. In fact, time seems to be the one thing you are running out of." She replied, her fast approach then causing my tremors to spread like wildfire. I forced myself to remain on two legs as she brought her face inches from mine, her petite hands rubbing her temples with a wince that caught my attention.

"Tell me where she is!" I snapped, all but losing my cool as she lowered her hands and reached for my arm. The cold feel of her touch alone sending renewed tremors through me that made staying human feel fucking impossible with her being this close to me. "What are you doing!?"

I watched her face fill with something I didn't think her kind had the ability to show anymore... Empathy and remorse.

"We're enemies, you and I. It's unfortunate, but true nonetheless."

"What's your point?" I harshly demanded, not in the mood for her riddles.

"I have the gift of visions. You know this already. I can see the future, but of course, it is always subject to change. Recently, my gift has morphed into something deeper. It was unexpected but needed. You see, not only can I see the course or path that someone is on, but I can give others the sight into my own visions from both the past and the present. Sometimes the future, too. You and the pack have always made things a bit difficult for me to see through. Your kind is known for creating holes in my vision. It can be very frustrating."

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you." I hastily replied through gritted teeth to her.

"Allow me to finish, and you won't have any need to be sorry." She replied, reaching tentatively out to place her hands on either side of my face. I jerked away from her. My tremors rapidly becoming more than I could fight off.

"What the hell are you trying to pull here? Is this a diversion tactic of yours? Huh? Is that it? Is Edward behind this! So help me, if he had anything to do with this and he's hurt her, I swear to you I'll-..."

"I know very well what you intend to do to my brother if you catch him and I can't blame you."

"You mean when I catch him." I bitingly corrected. "So, he is involved!?"

"I won't pretend to condone his behavior. He is desperate to have Bella, but she wasn't made for him. She was made for you."

I inched my face closer to hers, temporarily gaining enough control over my tremors to remain firmly planted on two legs for now.

"This is a trick. I don't buy your line of Bullshit!"

"I never thought you would, but it is the truth. My own truth. I don't expect that to mean much to you." She hissed.

"Good, cause it doesn't." I snapped back to her.

"...but I was the one Bella confided in last year when she was miserable in Georgia. When she asked me to keep an eye on you back here in Washington."

I stared back at her with a shake of my head. My anger growing more and more by the second from whatever fucking useless riddle she was trying to spin here.

"What the hell are you talking about? Bella didn't-"

"How would you know that!? She did ask me and I did exactly as she requested. A few times, your pack nearly discovered it. I tried my best to remain hidden, but it was risky every time. Edward grew suspicious and he demanded I tell him the truth about Bella. About what she wanted. When I did, he convinced me to help him keep her there with us in Georgia. To make her happy somehow, but it clearly didn't work. Out of pure desperation, I lied to her about you after the final trip I made back here a few months ago. I told her you were no longer residing in Washington. We wanted her to assume that you'd moved on. Built the family you always wanted with someone else. We had hopes that in return she would forget about you and try to be content with us."

I felt the anger wash over in waves from what she was saying as I looked at her, my head filling with all the times I had tried to force a connection with someone else, anyone else, after she had married him. What a huge fucking hole that had tore clean through me for five years after.

"You manipulated her into staying with him?" I angrily spat her way.

"I did. I'm ashamed of my actions and I want to make it right. That's why I came here. To help you save Bella from the Volturi. I know where she is and what Aro has planned for her and for the pack."

"What he has planned for the pack?"

"It will be a slaughter, Jacob. He intends to come here very soon and if you don't take the war to him, he will surely bring it to you. He is not one to wait on seeking out his vengeance." She replied.

"How many are there!?" I yelled, seeing her eyes grow wide at my heated tone.

"Twice your numbers. More if he brings help with him. He's done it before." She admitted to me.

I turned from her, looking back toward the car where Charlie was still waiting. His face now leaning in close to the windshield in anxious anticipation and his door half opened, like he were ready to sprint our way at a moments notice.

"Stay there, Charlie." I cautioned him, before glaring back at Alice while the heat began to pour off me like a damn furnace from her confession. I was leaving my lands when an imminent threat was lurking around the corner.

"I have something to show you, Jacob. You have to trust me in order to see it."

"You expect me to trust you!?" I huffed to her in reply, my head beginning to pound as I thought of everyone back in La'Push.

"I do. Give me a chance to fix this. I care for Bella and she loves you. She always has. My brother leaving her in the woods all those years ago was the best thing that could have happened to her. If we work together, I can take you right to her."

I hastily turned back around and approached her, my tone lethal when I tore off the sweatshirt and revealed the new ink prominently there.

"I don't need you to get to her, Alice. These showed up after she went missing. I'm trusting this far more than I could ever trust you at your word!"

Alice's golden eyes went large as she leaned in and stared down at the black that now lined my skin. Her icy touch making me flinch away from her when she attempted to trace the pattern. "Do you know what this is?"

"A map to her." I stated confidently in return. "Billy had the elders explain it."

"Yes, but it's also a detailed map of Volterra, Jacob. I've seen it on some of the antique scrolls that are framed in Carlisle's office. He's kept them for years now. This is amazing. It's etched perfectly in your skin. Every fine line of it." She marveled, her awe struck tone making me pause when she peered up at me with a hopeful expression. "Are there more? Some of the map here is missing?"

I pulled my t-shirt over my head and tried to remain still as her golden gaze wandered up over my bare torso and chest, her eyes seeming to follow the map with precision now.

"Is it the same as what you saw in Carlisle's office?" I gruffly asked her when she timidly reached out toward me.

"It is exactly the same, only newer and more direct. Carlisle's copy is ancient and faded. Easily confused. Where as this is perfectly detailed, Jacob. May I show you what I've seen? I can show her to you."

I couldn't refuse the chance to see her, to know she was okay. I was desperate to be able to see her beautiful face, no matter who that opportunity came from. Even from an enemy like Alice.

"This goes against everything that I am." I ground out, seeing her nod to me in understanding.

"...but we both share a common goal here, Jacob. We want to save Bella. I can help you do that. Close your eyes."

I begrudgingly did what she asked and when her ice cold fingertips touched my face, the image of Bella came to me through her own visions. She was standing in front of a mirror in a black dress, her lips painted red and her tears dripping down her cheeks as she stared at her own reflection.

I choked out a gasp as she pulled away from me then. The two of us staring at each other in disbelief when she lurched herself back.

"I know the ins and outs of Aro's Lair. We work together and we get her back. Whether or not you want to admit it, you need me. Please, let me help." She begged.

I could hardly absorb what she was saying, my head so full of that crystal clear vision of Bella that I agreed to her offer without anymore hesitation. Like it or not, she was my key into Volterra.

"I'm headed for SeaTac Airport. Flight leaves in less than an hour. Tell me what to do to get her back and I'll do it, but if you cross me, Alice-..."

"I won't. I want Bella to be happy and you are that happiness for her." She replied, quickly retreating back to her yellow Porsche that was parked in a vacant lot across the street. Her movements so fast that I barely had time to even form a response to her, before she was in front of me again and tossing a bag my way. I caught it quickly and she smirked.

"Good reflexes. Everything you need is in that bag, including a letter from me with instructions on where to be and when. You have to follow it, Jacob. Every part of it or this whole plan will go up in smoke. Sam will be joining you here shortly. I may have paid La'Push a visit first before coming to Seattle. He knows where you are headed and you'll need him once in Volterra. You do all that and I'll take care of the rest for you. I will keep Bella safe until she's back in your arms. You have my word."

"You went to Sam!?" I tensely stated. "I don't want him involved in this! Especially with the threat still on our lands! The pack needs him here more than I do in Volterra!"

"You're wrong, Jacob. Paul readily agreed to step up in his place. He was confident he could take care of the pack. He seems ready and determined to carry out any task in order to keep La'Push safe while the two of you are in Italy. Do you trust him enough to handle that or is there something I'm unaware of?" She asked.

"No, I trust him." I firmly stated. "Paul has stepped up the most in the pack this last year, but I don't want our lands turned into a damn bloodbath while I'm gone. They are my people and my family."

"They won't be, but Bella doesn't have that kind of time."

I cringed and gave her a nod as I gripped the bag she'd thrown to me tightly in my hands. My parting words to her laced with a threat that I would carry out if she were tricking me and this all ended wrong.

"I will do whatever it takes to get Bella back. You know that but know this, too, if I trust you and you betray me, you'll wish Aro had gotten to you first. That's a threat I'll see gets carried out myself, Alice"

"See you in Volterra, Jacob."

She didn't offer me anything further before fleeting to her bright yellow Porsche and taking off into the night.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Till Next Time...**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**(JPOV)**

When we reached the SeaTac Airport, the place was full of traveling families, all of who were impatiently waiting in line to board their flights and reach whatever destination they were headed to. It was a zoo no matter which direction you looked in. Charlie and I stood and anxiously awaited our turn, my gaze swiftly going to a little girl nearby who tugged on the hem of her fathers sweater and reached up for him. He set his bag down and tended to her.

"When are we going to be at grandma's Daddy? Will we make it there before lunchtime?" She softly asked, curiously looking around at the sea of people that passed them by in a rush.

"Soon, honey. Really soon." He assured her. "We have to get on our plane first and then you can take a nap and when you wake up, we'll be there. It will go by in the blink of an eye."

"I can't wait to see her! I'm so happy we get to celebrate an early Christmas with her this year! I bet she's made us all kinds of Christmas goodies and treats! Do you think she's put out Santa's cookies and milk yet?" She exclaimed, while she clapped happily, her small frame hanging onto her father tightly.

"I think it's still a little early for that, sweetheart. I'm excited to see your grandma, too! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Remember what mommy and I told you? Always stay close to us. Don't leave our side and wonder off. Too may people around here."

"Okay! I promise! I won't wander off! Mommy already told me before."

I kept my eyes on them as a woman hastily approached then, her thick dark hair gathered and piled high on top of her head and her dress attire appearing to be professional. She wore a black skirt and a red silk blouse, her tired face dolled up, and her arms full of packages and bags. She tried to balance them all but they soon came crashing down in a huge heap around her. She let out an exasperated cry and threw her hands up in the air while looking down at the disarray of packages now laying at her feet. I saw her husband try to help her while still cradling his daughter to him. Tears welled in the mothers eyes then as she looked around at the maddening crowds. Not even one person bothered to stop or offer her a set of hands and I huffed in disgusted disbelief at the ignorance.

I guess the old saying was definitely true these days. The Holidays can bring out the worst in people and chivalry really was dead after all.

I handed my two bags to Charlie and told him I'd be right back. I crossed through the crowds, earning myself a few jabs and glares along the way, before I hunkered down beside the tearful woman and scooped up her packages. She paused and glanced up my way, her smile sincere when I held some of them out to her.

"Here... I think you dropped these?"

"Thank you so much. I thought I could carry them all, but looks like I should have made more than one trip. Foolish of me!" She sighed to me in relief, her voice quavering with emotion while she hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up to straighten out her skirt. "I really appreciate the help."

"It's no problem. You're welcome. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you and your family."

"Same to you and yours, sir. I hope you don't have too far to go?" She politely replied, while her daughter reached out for her with a giggle.

"A little ways." I thoughtfully countered, as I turned to head back to Charlie and chuckled at the little girls enthusiasm. She was practically bouncing in her fathers arms.

"Before you take off. Please, take this for your momentary trouble. I insist." He offered, holding out a twenty to me with an expectant gaze.

I merely shook my head and gestured for him to put it back in his wallet.

"No need for that. This season kind of brings out the selfish in some people. I was just doing for you what I hope someone would do for me if I found myself in the same situation." I replied to him.

"Are you and your family traveling for the Holidays as well? Stressful at times, isn't it?" He curiously inquired.

"Looks it, and no, my travel is more business than personal, you could say."

"Well, wherever you're headed, safe travels and Happy Holidays!" He then offered with a tight smile.

"Thank you." I sincerely replied.

The little girl wiggled and squirmed her way out of his arms then, her steps fast when she took off toward the gift shop located at the end of the airport. "Come on, mommy!"

"Catherine Marie! You come back here! What did we tell you about taking off like that?" Her mother softly scolded when she caught up to her with an exasperated sigh. "Have you forgotten what happened at the supermarket?"

"She likes to explore! Full of adventure! Her mother and I can hardly keep up!" Her father stated, as I smiled to them and saw Catherine pout when he scooped her back up.

"They don't tell you when you become a parent that it's nothing more than one big race really. Always chasing after them in one way or another." Her mother chuckled in return. "I had a real scare with her a few months ago when she took off on me at the grocery store back in our home state. We're originally from Georgia, but we recently relocated here a few weeks ago for my husbands job in real estate. Anyway, to make a long story short, had it not been for the kind young lady who found her that day, I don't even want to think about what could have happened."

I found it more than simply ironic that they were from Bella's prior place of residence, silently pondering the unlikely chances for us to run into each other in such an overly crowded airport like this one, as they continued on.

"We were very fortunate. Things could have turned out much differently and not in our favor."

"Can't be too careful these days." I agreed with them both, seeing Catherine's eyes sparkle and her smile grow wide when she kissed her fathers cheek.

"No, you certainly can't." He sighed, hugging her close.

"...but Bella found me and helped me get back to mommy! Do you think she's going to fly away to visit her family this Christmas?"

My chest tightened while my eyes held little Catherine's gaze, her truth telling nature making me feel frozen where I stood.

"Maybe, sweetie! Wherever she is, I'm sure she's celebrating the holidays with her own family just like we are. Well, maybe not stuck waiting for a flight in the SeaTac, but, she's probably surrounded by those she loves back in Georgia." Her mother lightly teased.

She couldn't be talking about Bells... My Bella... could she?

I retrieved my wallet, flipping it open to the first picture I'd kept there of the two of us for years now and held it out to them. We were both wearing carefree smiles in my garage when my father had sneakily snapped the photo, but it had long since become a treasured keep sake for me.

"This Bella? Is she the one who helped you that day?" I asked, my disbelieving tone causing them to glance down at the photo with shocked expression.

"Oh my goodness! Yes! Yes! That's her. You two know each other? Are you her husband? Is she here?"

"What are the chances!?" Her husband huffed. "We would love to thank her properly again if she is with you."

My throat grew tight as I stared between them and tried to form a response.

"N-No, she's not here with me. I'm on my way to her."

"So, you're her husband then!? Have the two of you relocated here as well?" They eagerly asked, as Catherine's mother threw her arms around me suddenly, her tear filled words sincerely spoken.

"Please tell her that you saw us and that we are forever grateful to her for what she did for us that day. We tried for years to have Catherine. The doctor told us we could never have any children and when she came along, she was truly our little miracle. We owe your Bella so much."

"I'll tell her for you. I promise." I hoarsely replied, relaeasing her from our brief embrace.

"What's your name?" She soon questioned.

"I'm Jacob and the man right over there, that's Charlie, he's Bella's father."

They waved to Charlie and he kindly waved back, although I knew he was clueless as to what our conversation was about.

The loud announcement that rang out overhead suddenly forced us to part ways then, as we all collected our luggage and made our way toward the TSA agent waiting to scan us through. I looked over one last time to catch a glimpse of Catherine's bright smile when she waved to us from afar before we disappeared into the terminal.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and for all your wonderful reviews. Till Next Time...**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

**(BPOV)**

I couldn't take my eyes off the many families that were seated across from me at the large dinner table, their laughter making my face pale to a shade of ghostly white when Aro smiled brilliantly to them.

"We are so thrilled to have you joining us for the festivities!"

"Yes, indeed we are. We have been waiting for this night for quite some time now. Aro is pleased to have you all with us. We have several thrilling events planned for you. We'll get to them shortly. We hope you enjoy your meal. " Felix added, pouring them each a tall glass of red wine with their elaborate meals.

Edward had appeared and joined the feast soon after we were all formerly seated. His dress suit and polished shoes looking to cost more than anything I'd ever seen him wear. He swiftly approached me and placed a kiss on my cheek. I moved away from him and tried not to cringe at the feel of his icy lips on my skin but failed in doing so. He offered me a coy smirk in response and took his seat on the other side of Alice.

My gaze soon wandered further down the table when the sound of a child's laughter rang out above all the other voices talking. Alice saw my reaction and reached her hand out to firmly grip my leg when my eyes met hers. The silent warning in her amber gaze making me bite my tongue so hard that I was almost certain I would soon taste the rustic tinge of blood in my mouth.

It was absolutely sickening to watch them all spark up meaningless conversations and even for them to go as far as placing food on their plates, to further blend in with the idea of this whole thing being nothing more than a big play of some kind. A dramatic and deadly skit that had yet to be performed.

"We hope you enjoy your stay with us during the festivities. There will be a lighting ceremony held at midnight tonight and we look forward to seeing you all there." Aro chimed, his crimson gaze flickering across the table to me. "Even those who are previously unfamiliar with some of our traditions here for the St. Nicholas Day Festival."

My blood ran cold and I shivered when he pretended to eat, fooling all of his unsuspecting guests by simply shuffling the untouched food around on his plate. He arranged it according, so it would appear that he had actually ingested some of the meal that the kitchen staff had prepared. Alice nudged me then, her eyes going to my abandoned plate of food and her unspoken request clear to read, as she inched it closer to my trembling hands.

I choked down a bite and tried to ignore the violent churning in my stomach, as I listened to some of the conversations taking place.

"Mommy, when is the parade going to begin? Will there be dancing?" A little boy to my left asked his parents, as he happily took a bite from the slice of chocolate cake on his plate.

"I think the pamphlet said it will begi sometime before midnight. I'll have to check again once we're done with our meal. No, you know the rules, eat some more of your meal before diving into the dessert!" His mother laughed, redirecting the young boys fork and giving a soft smile my way when she noticed me observing them from afar.

My throat tightened and I found it hard to breathe when the boy looked toward Alice and I, his sweet face revealing his innocent age to be no more than five or six years old at the most. A tremor ran down my spine and I gripped the fork in my hand, as I studied his happy expression.

What kind of monsters did this?

Alice squeezed my knee once more and I forced another bite of food into my dry mouth, the startling numbness I felt making it hard for me to even chew and swallow. I could feel Aro's red eyes upon me and I tried to keep my composure, but when the little boy began to giggle loudly and reach out eagerly for more of the chocolate cake placed in front of him, I could barely stop the tears from forming in response.

"What did mommy and daddy tell you, Jacob? Dessert is for after the meal."

I stifled a gasp and felt the emotion choke me from the little boys name, his dark eyes full of such joy and curiosity when he glanced to me with a wave of his small hand. I forced a smile back to him just as Aro spoke up to announce that more wine would be served before the tour was set to begin.

"We have plenty of refreshments to enjoy. Please, everyone, help yourselves to your feast. It is our pleasure to serve you."

My eyes followed his every move as he rose from the table and pretended to help with refilling everyone's now empty wine glasses.

This was truly like leading the lambs to the violent and bloody slaughter. My body trembled in nervous anticipation, the sweet smell from them suddenly striking me in the face and making me cough. I reached for the water in front of me, drinking it down greedily and see Alice's concerned expression.

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

I didn't dare voice an audible reply to her, knowing that Aro could hear every word spoken or breathed right now. I focused on the little boy at the end of the table, his dark eyes and rich black hair reminding me of what my Jacob looked like as a small child, or what the son we could have in the future would carry for his handsome features. Thinking this way, made me recall the vision I'd had on the mountain top before the newborn battle, when Jacobs kiss had turned my whole world upside down and forced me to see what I'd been foolishly denying all along... that I loved him. That I wanted to be with him, even though I had already sealed my fate to Edward, and the promise to the Volturi was already in place.

He was what I wanted. What I would have turned back time for and chosen over and over again. If I only had the chance to do so.

I wouldn't be without him. I couldn't.

I drew in a shaky breath as the heat I hadn't felt in weeks flooded up my spine and spread its way out to my limbs.

Felix reached for my arm, taking hold of it and hauling me up out of my seat without warning. "Help us serve the guests. You're a delicious sight to see."

I did as he demanded, my shaking hands reaching out for one of the gold trays that held the many varying assortments of wine placed there to choose from.

My legs were unsteady as I carried the heavy tray around the large table, my tremors causing me to stumble more than once. Alice saw my struggle and wuickly got up to help me before I caused a scene and directed unwanted attention my way.

My skin broke out in a sweat as I pulled the at clingy black dress that suddenly felt suffocating for me to stay in.

Whatever drug Aro and Edward had used to keep me from phasing was beginning to rapidly wear off.

**A/N: I know this chapter is short. Thank you for reading. Till Next Time...**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**(JPOV)**

I sat there anxiously in the too small seat on the packed airplane, my gaze taking in the hustle all around Charlie and I while we waited for take off.

"We chose the wrong day to fly, Jake. Busiest time of the damn year!"

"Agreed." I sighed, tilting my head back and thinking of what Alice had told me, her clear instructions making me ponder just why in the hell she would agree to help us in the first place, or if she was setting us up for destruction.

I gritted my teeth and felt Charlie nudge into my shoulder, his tired eyes full of worry when he took in my expression.

"You trust her? What she said to you in Port Angeles?" He hedged, keeping his tone low enough so no one else could be privy to our conversation.

"I don't see what other fucking choices I have?" I tensely stated.

"She's the way into that demonic city, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. She has ties with Aro that I don't and more than that, she has his attention. That plays in our favor. If only for a little while."

Charlie glanced away briefly and looked out the window, his hands flexing nervously in his lap. He was just as damn anxious to get to Bella as I was.

"Charlie, when we get there, you have to hang back. When I spoke to Sam on the way here, he told me he'd make his way into the city when we arrive. He's waiting for my text for the go ahead. I don't want you getting hurt or-"

"There's no way I'm sitting on my hands and watching while the two of you risk your lives for my daughter. I may not have the abilities you do, but I am still useful." He stubbornly replied.

"I know you are, but Bella would be devastated if something happened to you in Volterra. The Volturri are ruthless. They respect no one and will do whatever it takes to get what they want, and right now, they want Bella."

"They can't have her."

"They won't." I vowed in reply to him, my skin heating as I thought of the vision of her Alice had shown me earlier. "I'm bringing her out of Volterra or I'm not coming out at all."

"What the hell does that mean?" Charlie huffed to me in question, his heightened and alarmed tone earning him a few cautionary glances from some of the other passengers seated close by. "What are you not telling me?"

"I'm telling you that if this all goes south, if it turns out that Alice is trapping us, I want you to get out with Sam and don't look back. I mean it, Charlie. Please."

"You're damn crazy if you think I'm going to leave you and Bella behind in a place like that-"

"...that's exactly what I'm asking you to do. If this doesn't go as planned, you go back to Washington with Sam. Don't try to pull the hero complex. It will get you killed, Charlie! You have to trust me!"

"Jake-..."

"Please, I need someone to be there for Rachel and Dad if I'm not able to anymore. I know I can count on you. You're family to me. Always have been. Always will be."

"You expect me to tuck tail and run if shit gets hairy in there? Is that it?" He angrily replied. "... and what about you or my little girl?"

I raised my head and met his glare, my eyes locking on his with my firm reply then.

"I am not coming back to Washington without Bella. So, if Aro gets the upper hand in this first, then we'll both be there. He'll have to kill me before I'll ever let him get to her. Aro is power hungry. He would use me before he would kill me. It would be his way of controlling the situation and I'll do whatever it takes to save her. You already know this."

Charlie went mute then, his face paling as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I trust you with her life, but you're asking me to abandon the two of you in a place that would kill you both in the end. How the hell do you expect me to do that?"

"You'll find a way. You'll have to."

He cleared his throat and soon looked away from me, his frustrated sigh letting me know that I was asking a big feat from him.

"I've watched you grow up, seen you overcome things that would crush any other kid. You've always been like my own son, Jacob. If I go back to your father and Rachel without you-..."

"They'll always have me with them. Dad knows where my heart is with this. He knows that coming back without Bella for me isn't an option. I'll get her back or I'll die trying."

We shared another tense look and I struggled to sit still when the captain announced our departure from the SeaTac and gave us a rough estimation time of when we would be landing. We had hours of flying ahead and I felt fucking trapped in such a small space.

The stewardess was prompt with asking us if we would enjoy a beverage or meal of any kind for the long flight ahead. I simply shook my head to her, but Charlie took the liberty of ordering us some Bourbon whiskey. His nerves were shot and he'd been up for hours. He needed something to take the edge off and I couldn't say that I blamed him.

"You must want something? I'd say you look thin, cause I haven't seen you eat much lately, but truthfully, you look like you've added some weight. Did you join a gym I don't know about? I don't know, maybe I'm so damn sleep deprived that I'm just seeing things."

I shrugged off his suggestion, ignoring his observations and not wanting to have to explain everything to him right now. What he was seeing wasn't wrong. His eyes weren't deceiving him. While it was true I had no appetite these days, my body had taken on the extra muscle mass from the wolfs near constant reign and it was beginning to show. As if, the wolf already knew what was coming and what I needed from him to endure it. Much like the tattoos, seemed I didn't have much control over my own body these days. I'd been in such a numb and robotic state since Bella had gone missing, that I didn't notice the changes at first. I'd been in wolf form for days at a time and barely phased back long enough to shower and check on dad before I'd hit the ground again running. Sam had been the one to ask me after a patrol run if I was letting the wolf have too much power these days, claiming his first clue to be my newly grown size. I'd dismissed it until I could no longer wear some of my T-shirts comfortably. The material felt tight and suffocating whenever I tried to pull one on and the last time I made an attempt, the strain on the flimsy material had caused it to rip.

"Here are your drinks." The stewardess soon stated, handing Charlie and I a tall glass with a glossy and flirtatious smile cresting her lips. I rolled my eyes when she bent down and asked me if there was anything else I needed, her white shirt dipping low in the front and exposing the top of her cleavage for us to get a good look at, before she moved on to the next passenger.

"No, I think that will be all."

"Alright, well, you let me know should you change your mind. It's going to be a long flight." She replied, biting down on her bottom lip and flipping her long red hair over one shoulder. "I hope you enjoy your refreshments."

When she was out of ear shot, Charlie took a long haul from his full glass and glanced my way.

"Was it just me, or was she talking about more than just bringing us a damn drink on this plane!"

"Yeah, something like that." I sighed to him in reply, my head filling with Bella as I thought of the last time I'd had her in my arms and how much I ached for her now.

"I gotta' say that I admire that about you, Jacob. You don't pay much attention to anyone else but Bella. Some guys don't hold the same standards."

"You're giving me too much credit. I don't have great standards, Charlie. I've made my fair share of mistakes in the five years she was gone."

"Yeah, but you chose that cause she left with Edward. Not because you didn't love her."

I turned my head and saw the sincerity in his gaze as he nodded toward the drink in front of me.

"That won't touch me. My temperature burns it off too fast. You're welcome to it." I replied, his next question making my chest tighten.

"You really love her, don't you? Enough to give up everything for her? Choosing her over the pack and yourself?"

"I'll always choose her."

Charlie nodded and sunk back into his seat with a contemplative expression as we reached a new altitude.

"... and I wanted to choose you for her from the start. I'll do what you ask me once in Volterra, if you can promise me one thing? Think you can do that for me, son?"

"Name it and I'll do it." I countered.

"Bring the both of you back together and in once piece?"

My throat grew tight with my forced reply to him, but I offered it anyway.

"I promise, Charlie."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! There will be another chapter posted tomorrow. Thank you for all the kind reviews. HAPPY READING! :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**(BPOV)**

I tried to play the part and follow Alice's lead, but the more I watched Aro's sickening game unfold, the more my skin blazed and the harder it became for me to not act on my impulses. I watched closely, my heart in my throat as Demetri and Felix made their way around the table like the proper hosts they were pretending to be.

When most everyone had finished their meal, Aro requested that they all follow him for the much anticipated tour of the grounds.

The crowd was massive when we passed by the stained glass window that led us to the first upper room, the chanting loud and only adding to the chaos in my head. There were throngs of innocent people out there. All of them unsuspecting of what was to come and all of them belonging to someone.

"Stay close to me." Alice reminded me before Edward reached out and and took hold of my hand. I pulled it harshly away from him, the feel of his hold like a painful jolt to my skin.

"Don't-..."

"Shh, love. There's no need to worry. This will all be over soon."

"How can you be part of this? You know what will happen! How this ends! You're killing the innocent."

"There are sacrifices that need to be made. I can't control the Volturi or their laws." He replied.

"You call this soon to be slaughter a sacrifice?! How can you justify what you're doing!?"

"Hush now. You'll cause a scene and we wouldn't want that. Trust me." He chided me, his golden gaze meeting mine as he pulled me close and trudged forward with the others.

The room we entered looked like something you'd see in any Christmas fairytale. Magazine worthy and breathtaking to anyone who had no idea what this place truly was. The families all gathered there, gushing over the elaborate décor and the festive lights that gave off an ambient glow. In the center was a large Christmas tree, complete with gifts and heavily decorated with expensive bulbs and velvet red ribbon.

"This is where we like to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. The gifts under the tree are for all of you. We made sure to check the guest list for this evening twice. There's plenty for everyone." Aro stated, his tone full of delight and his crimson gaze lighting up when the children eagerly ran toward the tree with wide smiles.

"Funny thing about you humans. Your blood tastes so much better whenever joy or sorrow are present, but nothing can touch the delicacy of what pain can do to it's flavor. We save that for last." Demetri breathed into my ear as I stared wide eyed at the children ripping into the boxes and excitedly showing their parents what they had received.

I placed a hand over my mouth, unable to erase the shock and horror on my face as my stomach continued to churn.

"Hold yourself together and remember what I told you." Alice quickly stated upon seeing the expression I wore.

Edward appeared indifferent to the whole thing, his detached and calm demeanor making me want to slap him for being part of this, even though I knew the action would cause me far more pain than he would ever feel.

The children all played with their new toys, each of them wearing infectious smiles while they tried out what was in the many packages. There were stuffed animals and yoyos, along with teddy bears and books.

This was the kind of thing nightmares were made of.

I shuddered when the double doors suddenly swung open behind us, the alarm on Alice's face enough to make my skin heat all the more. Sweat began to drip down my neck and I gasped when a small girl, who held the innocent features of a mere teenager, gracefully passed us, her red crimson eyes truly unsettling to behold.

"Oh, dear Jane! How nice of you to join us! Tell me, were your successful on your endeavor?" Aro questioned, while still closely observing the children and other families under his spell.

"Yes, master. Alec and I retrieved the package you asked for. It is being held down in the prison chamber." She replied, her voice soft and even when she spoke.

"Good work." He commended her, his eyes rapidly landing on me before he continued. "Seems our celebration is just about to begin. What a treat this will be."

Alice looked like she were haunted, her face a mirror of shock and devastation when Aro redirected the group for another part of the tour. We hung back and the murderous glare she gave Edward chilled me to the bone.

"Did you really believe I wouldn't figure it out?" Edward bitterly hissed.

"You crossed me!?" She violently hissed back to him in return. "How could you-"

"In the very same way you betrayed me, sweet sister."

I looked between the two of them, seeing the remorse in Alice's face and the ignorant triumph that plagued Edwards features, as we followed the others down the long and winding staircase.

"You've just sealed your own fate." Alice warned, taking hold of my arm as my body began to tremble from their exchange.

"On the contrary. I think it is you whose fate is now sealed." Edward countered. "Things could have been different for you, Alice. You made a poor choice."

"Is that why you were late to the dinner?"

"I had important business to attend to."

"You mean you took care of Aro's dirty work for him?" Alice snapped out in accusation.

"So you could say." Edward coyly confirmed.

"You've given your soul to a monster."

"I don't have a soul." He quipped.

I fought the urge to scream as Aro then turned and looked back our way, his thrilled gaze holding my own as he opened the large door that led us down another corridor. It was dark and hard to see while we followed the long line of lit torches, every turn making my trembling worse.

Alice wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me close to her in an attempt to hide my returning tremors from Edward. If he knew my abilities were coming back, he would inject me with another round of whatever concoction he and Aro had created to keep me here.

I could hardly stand as my body shook, my hands constantly pulling at the fabric of the dress. I wanted to tear it off and embrace the phase I knew was coming, but I had to wait for the right time. My breath hitched then when a loud roar echoed out around us. Everyone stopped their advances and Aro's voice was dripping with anticipation and thrill when he spoke.

"Ah, yes, that will be festivity numero uno for the evening. Don't be alarmed, I assure you, it is all part of the festival. It's all for the fun of entertainment. Much like going to the zoo."

"Alice." I gasped, my knees nearly giving out from under me as another roar filled the dampened air.

Her remorseful gaze met mine and I stilled as she shook her head to me.

I couldn't swallow as I feared who the roar belonged to.

**A/N: Thanks for reading this short update and thank you for your reviews. There will be another tonight. **


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

**(BPOV)**

The floor beneath us shook with the fierceness of the roar that rang out, as everyone in front of us huddled in close to each other with looks of terror on their faces. Aro's empty words of assurance had done very little to appease their worry and fear. They were beginning to wonder if this was all truly an act or something far worse. I was frozen in place there next to Alice and Edward, the two of them sharing a deadly glare when Aro soon threw open the last door at the end of the corridor with great excitement in his tone when he addressed the awaiting crowd. He was clearly getting a twisted thrill out of this and I hated him for it.

"We'd like to welcome you all to the final act for the evening before the parade begins! This will be something you'll never forget! Ladies, gentlemen and dear children, feast your eyes on this! What a sight it is to see!"

Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. I could barely make out the words that Alice was whispering to me, all of them sounding far away and muffled as my eyes landed on the russet colored wolf roaring furiously and pulling wildly against the chains that held him there in the center of the room. I felt the blood in my face drain as I staggered forward in response, my body going numb as the wolf shook his head back and forth, huffing and desperate the break free.

The cry that was building in my throat never came, my body flooding with a fiery rush of heat that covered every part of me as I ran forward. Edward caught me, hauling me off my feet and effectively stopping me from entering the room.

"Let me go!" I screamed to him.

At the sound of my voice, another furious roar filled the damp air, piercing through me like a jagged knife. I struggled against Edward, his iron grip making me see red as he hissed his demand.

"Settle down, Bella! This is for your own good! Stop fighting me!"

"Release him! Now!" Alice shouted to her brother but it fell on deaf ears. As if he hadn't even registered what she'd just said.

"Now, we can have the future we deserve. Without anymore interference from him. You should be relieved. He gets to live. Aro has many uses for him. That's better than being dead!"

Jacobs wolf gaze fell on me as I screamed out again and I stopped struggling as the tears filled my gaze at the sight of him.

His thick fur was bloody and his snarling loud. He was injured and not healing like he should.

"What did you do to him!?" I shrieked to Edward, his lip curling upward in anger at the concern in my voice for Jacob.

"We did what was needed to get him here."

Jacob continued to pull against the heavy chains. His violent thrashing making the heat lick it's way back up my spine. I wanted to destroy them all for this. He was enraged and chained down on every side. His size and strength enough to break them as he continued to try and get free.

The plan had failed. Aro had discovered what we were up to and he had turned it around in his sick favor.

"Alice!" I gasped, trying to get away from Edward. She came at him with a deadly snarl on her lips, forcefully pulling me out of his arms and attacking him with so much force that it sent the both of them hurdling to the floor. I whipped my head around, seeing how the wooden planks beneath them splintered like kindling under their weight and gasping as the dozen of people tried to escape the Volturi. The sight of it like that of a predator stalking their prey before going in for the final kill.

I fell to the ground with a terrified scream when my eyes locked on Jacobs from afar as the chaos around us began to unfold like a horror movie you couldn't stop from playing out. Like someone had flipped an invisible switch, I watched all the act and façade of sweetness leave Aro and the others as they turned themselves back toward the alarmed and frightened onlookers. Some of them now trying to run away and getting nowhere when Felix took hold of one man, lifting him off the ground before tossing him aside like rag doll while his wife shrieked. I continued to hold Jacobs gaze as he roared, tugging violently on the chains that held him captive.

In the blink of an eye, everything turned and the screaming began. Long gone was Aro's fake smile and left in it's place was the evil and blood thirsty look that I'd seen before. He claimed his first victim, snatching him up so fast my gaze couldn't follow and before I could blink again, his razor sharp fangs were sunk deep into the mans neck as he screamed out in pure terror. My tremors gripped me forcefully and I embraced them, desperate to get to Jacob. I heard the disbelieving and vile hiss come from Edward as Alice stopped him from trying to take hold of me again before I phased. My dress soon lay in shreds on the floor as my skin was replaced with snow white fur, the angry roar that left me causing Jacob to still his thrashing, our minds linking the second I landed on all fours and charged head first into the madness.

"Jacob!"

"Bells!"

I attacked Demetri first, as a rage I had never known filled me. I tore him off a woman who was desperately trying to get away from him. My sharp teeth ripping easily through his granite flesh and I showed him no mercy when I pinned him beneath my paws and hastily tore into his throat. Every move I made was driven my the fire that was still spreading through my veins.

It was then I heard Jacobs anguished screaming fill my head and I quickly turned to see Jane closing in on him, her red irises focused on his wolf form as she crippled him with a blinding pain that threatened to knock the wind out of me from hearing his thought. Fury ripped through me and I charged her, plowing into her with enough force to break the hold she had on him. Jacob yelled for me through our linked minds, but I didn't heed his warning because I already knew that she couldn't hurt me. She'd tried before and my mental shield still made her painful gaze useless.

Aro came at me then without warning, his blow knocking me back as he angrily hissed my way.

"I'm going to destroy you!"

His threat was barely finished before another voice filled my head.

"We're here, Bella."

Sam...

A blur of black flew past me and tore into Aro as I looked to see the rest of the pack come running into the deadly fight.

The Volturi had just met their match.

I was made for this. I was meant to be a wolf and I was meant for Jacob.

**A/N: Look for another chapter tonight! It is a busy season, but I will be still writing! Thanks for the awesome reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

**(JPOV)**

The plane had landed on time and we checked in to the closest hotel there was, both of us far past the point of exhaustion from the trip. Neither one of us had been able to calm down enough during the long flight to get any kind of shut eye.

"One room enough?" Charlie asked, handing the older woman behind the front desk his credit card.

"Sure, that's fine." I readily agreed, looking around as the odd feeling of being watched crept over my skin.

I inhaled deeply, expecting to pick up on the stomach churning scent that made me want to puke, but there was no trace of it.

I shook my head and followed Charlie up to our room, my eyes heavy and stinging from the lack of sleep now.

"You look more beat than I am, kid." Charlie huffed with a nod of his head toward our room.

He inserted the key card, seeing the light go green and hurriedly pushing open the door with an exasperated sigh.

"I feel like shit." I replied, tossing my bags onto the bed before ripping the map from my back pocket and studying our location.

"How much further we got?"

"Almost two hundred miles. We're at the tail end of the trip."

"Good, cause I don't think I can go any longer without sleep. I'm older than you are. So, if you're feeling like shit, just imagine how I'm feeling right about now." He tiredly sighed, laying back on the bed.

"Get some rest."

"You need it, too." He countered.

"Someone needs to keep watch."

"You really think they know we're coming?"

"I'd bet on it." I stated, parting the curtains and taking a glance outside at the darkened sky as another night approached.

"You'd be able to know? If they were here and coming after us, right?" Charlie asked, pulling himself up and taking off his coat and badge.

"I can smell a cold one a mile away, but not if their human."

"Human? What do you mean?"

"I mean, a clan like the Volturi have a lot of resources. People in high places. I don't trust anyone and you shouldn't either. They could talk anyone into doing their dirty work, Charlie. Doesn't have to be another vampire like the Cullens. Keep your eyes and ear open while we're here."

"This is crazy." Charlie countered. "You're saying there's more to worry about then just vampires?" Charlie disbelievingly questioned, his face paling as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. "I can't even believe I just said that out loud."

I backed away from the window and hastily drew the curtains, keeping the room dark as I turned and looked his way again.

"I know, but it's fucking real, Charlie. They really have Bella and if they have an inkling that we're coming like I think they do, they'll try to kill us before we get to her."

"How the hell do you do this, Jacob. Deal with this supernatural shit all the time?" Charlie half yelled. "It's enough to drive any sane person crazy. Always having to look over your shoulder or behind you. For shit's sake. I had no idea you had to handle this stuff."

"Part of being who I am."

He shook his head and looked toward the hotel door, seeming to be lost in thought.

"You know... you try like hell to protect your kids from the real threats that are out there. The monsters that you think you know, but I can't protect her from any of this, Jacob."

"You being here is enough. I appreciate you coming with me, Charlie." I sincerely replied, meeting his tortured gaze as he pulled his gun from his belt and sat it down on the bed next to him.

"I've been a cop for years and all the stuff I thought I knew, feels damn useless right about now." He bitterly admitted.

"It's not useless. Just different. Things aren't always what they seem."

"Here I was thinking all this time that the biggest hurdle we'd ever have to face was when Edward had left her in the woods. That depression she faced almost did me in, Jacob. I had never felt so helpless... till now. It's the same feeling and I hate it. Tell me something?"

"Anything." I solidly replied, hearing the pain in his worried tone for Bella.

"This will never stop, will it? All this chaos and supernatural? She's stuck in it, right? There's no way out for her?"

I sat down in the empty chair across from him and saw the desperation in his gaze for an answer I knew he didn't want to hear from me.

"Charlie, I hate that she's part of this shit, too. Trust me, I'd erase it from both of our live if I could, but I can't."

"Thanks to the Cullens, right? Figures. I always knew there was something about that family I didn't like. Something that didn't settle well with me from the start."

"Well, your instincts were right on." I replied.

"I should have stood firm and forbidden her from seeing Edward. I caved and now look at this mess."

"This isn't on you, Charlie. Not even close. You're a good father and Bella loves you."

Charlie raised his head and met my gaze when I said this and I could read the regret he felt about things in the past. It was written on his tired face.

"I love her, too. I let things go when I shouldn't have. Even back when Renee first left. I wanna do right by her, Jacob. She's my only kid and I've screwed up enough in the past."

"Bella knows that you're out there looking for her. I guarantee it."

I got to my feet and retrieved my wallet from the small desk at the front of the room, my gaze lingering on the picture of Bella and I as I searched for some cash.

"I could use something to eat. Do they have anything here?"

"Yeah, that's where I'm headed. There was a dinner buffet of some kind on the main floor when we walked in. I spotted it on the way up here earlier. Want me to grab you a plate? Any requests?"

"Nah, I'm good with anything. As long as it's edible." Charlie chuckled as I headed out of the room.

"Sure, Sure. I'll be back soon. Don't wander off, alright? Remember what I said before. Eyes and ears open."

"Got it. See you in a bit."

I headed down the long stair case, my eyes looking in every which direction as the smell of food from the buffet filled the air. I still didn't have much appetite, but figured I would at least try for Charlie's sake and I knew I needed to keep my strength up. I already felt as if I was running on fumes.

I snatched up two plates from the end of the buffet table and began piling on a variety of options for Charlie to choose from, dishing out some for myself at the same time and not really caring what the hell it was.

The feel of a tug on the hem of my sweatshirt made me pause and glance down to see a dark haired little boy peering up at me with curiosity.

"Excuse me, mister." He timidly asked when I set the plates down and hunkered down in front of him. I looked around at the crowded buffet, trying to see which direction he could've come from.

"Are you lost?"

"I am." He worriedly replied, his small frame trembling some as he glanced around us. "I don't see my mom."

"It's alright. We'll find her. Come on." I replied, taking his hand and seeing him eye the trays of desserts placed at the end of the table.

"You hungry?"

He nodded enthusiastically and I lifted him up to see the tray better so he could choose what he wanted.

"Take one. It's on me, kid."

"Okay!" He squealed in delight, eagerly grabbing one of the large chocolate chip cookies and taking a big bite out of it.

We headed toward the front desk as he continued to look around for any sign of his mother.

"What's your name?"

"Jacob." I replied.

"That's my name!" He exclaimed with excitement. I paused and looked into his young face, seeing his eyes light up at this. That's when we heard it, the wailing of a mother as she frantically asked around if anyone had seen a small boy.

"Mom!" Jacob yelled to her as I sat him down. She ran over to us, her arms open wide to gather him up.

"There you are! Are you okay!" She fussed, cradling his face and kissing his cheeks sever times before waving with gratitude to me.

"Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem."

"Merry Christmas to you, sir."

"Same to you."

"Bye, Jacob." He yelled to me with a beaming smile, as he clung to his mother and they disappeared back into the heavy crowd.

I was on my way back to the room with my hands full of the plates when the same feeling of being watched from before came over me. I slowed my pace and looked over my shoulder, feeling the dreaded sense of someone lurking close behind me as I neared our room.

Heat licked up my spine then just as I spun around and dropped the plates to the floor, my hand blocking the hit I could feel was coming. I saw the mans angry and surprised look as he swung at me again, connecting with my jaw once before I shoved him into the wall. The rustic taste in my mouth making me spit the crimson from his blow out onto the floor.

"Who else is with you?" I demanded, as he glared back at me, his hand moving up faster than I had anticipated and sinking a needle into the side of my neck. I cussed as black spots clouded my vision and my legs and arms went completely numb.

**A/N: Look for another update very very soon. Thank you for reading and for all your kind reviews. Till Next Time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**(JPOV)**

I came to with a choked gasp leaving me, my eyes struggling to focus as the rancid stench filled my lungs. I coughed and pulled myself up, feeling the tight ropes dig into my wrists when I moved. It was pitch black and I couldn't see anything.

"Fuck."

"Jake? Is that you? Wh-Where are we? What the hell is going on? Talk to me!"

I jumped at the sound of the voice next to me then, it's familiar tone making me pull harder on the ropes again.

"Charlie? Are you okay?"

"I think so. I can't remember what happened. One minute I was almost asleep and then the next, I was hit with something over the head."

"Damn it!" I yelled, waiting for the burn to flood over my skin as I struggled against the ropes, but it never came. My head felt heavy and the throbbing ache between my temples made my stomach churn. "They stuck me with something. I can't phase. I don't know what they used but it worked."

"What? What does that mean? Will it wear off? Where the hell are we?"

"In Volterra. They got to us first."

"We have to get out of here! Bella is-..."

"Calm down, Charlie. We'll figure something out. Keep your head."

The loud banging that came somewhere above us made me still then, the small amount of light peering in through an opened door letting me see that we were locked in a damn cell. Charlie didn't make a sound when the footsteps drew closer and the snarl in my throat cut through the cold silence around us.

"Easy now." She hissed, holding a lantern out toward us with an inquisitive crimson gaze. "You gave my brother and I a real chase, you know? Turns out Aro wasn't wrong. You wolves are a force to be reckoned with. Well, until you have the right drug to subdue you."

"What the hell did you inject me with! Tell me!" I roared, getting to my feet and swaying toward the iron bars ahead of me.

"Wouldn't you like to know? What is it that renders you so immobile? Come on, now Jacob. You're smart, so I've been told. You can figure it out. I'm sure you can."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me?! I never properly introduced myself. I'm Jane." She replied, glancing past me to see Charlie now standing wearily in the corner of the cell.

"What did you do with my daughter! Where do you have her?" He yelled.

"Careful..." She warned him in return, her sick sense of thrill making my skin crawl as I yearned for the heat to return to me. I wanted nothing more than to phase and kill her right here.

"You had help with this. You had to-..." I accused through gritted teeth, my jaw clenched tightly as she looked us over.

"Indeed we did."

"The Cullens."

"Smart boy you are and delicious to look at." She hissed, her cold hand reaching into the cell as she tried to touch my face. I snarled at her and pulled away, my legs feeling useless and as heavy as fucking concrete right now. "Aro has so many uses for you. They'll be planet of time for us to get acquainted. No need to rush things."

"Where is she! Where is Bella!" I shouted with all the strength I had left.

"You'll see her soon. Aro is simply delighted to put on the show we have planned tomorrow evening. We can hardly wait. Dozens of people are expected to show."

I swallowed thickly at her words.

"People?" Charlie hedged.

"Why yes, Charlie." Jane replied. "Just as human and defenseless as yourself. We invite them all for the St. Nicholas Day festival."

"... you're sick." I spat her way, my head spinning and my body aching as I sunk down onto the cold floor, unable to keep standing any longer.

"Some may see it that way. We call it colorful. I'll be back for you in due time. Don't be stupid enough to try something. Not that you could right now."

"What did you give him!?" Charlie demanded, hunkering down on the floor and putting his hand on my forehead. "He can barely move."

"We had to weaken him. Take away his ability to phase. His strength matches our own and that's a risk we couldn't take." Jane replied to him and I faded in and out of consciousness. Bella's face came to my mind as I tried to get back up, my body fighting me every step of the way, but my words to Jane true.

"Let her go and keep me here. You don't need her. I'll take her place if you set her and Charlie free. What use is she to you?"

I saw her eyes light up with interest at this and knew I'd given her something to ponder.

"You'd be willing to take her place? Just like that? I assure you the plans Aro has for you-..."

"I don't care. Let Bella go. You want a fair trade and I'm giving you a better one. You know you need me more than you need her." I choked out to her as she looked between Charlie and I.

"Jacob! Don't-" Charlie warned. "Bella would never be able to-..."

"Her happiness is worth it."

"No..."

"You have abilities that Aro needs. You're far more useful to him than Bella could be. He is already aware of this but I'm sure he'd love to learn of your willingness to make a deal."

"You can't have him!" Charlie yelled, her gaze falling on me suddenly from his outburst as a roaring pain I'd never known took hold, shaking me down to my core.

I screamed out in agony, my whole body feeling jolted as she continued to glare at me.

"Stop!" Charlie yelled. "Stop it!"

The pain was suffocating and I was sure that every bone in my body was being broken at the same time. At Charlie's demand, Jane took her deadly gaze from me and backed away, retreating from the cold cell as fast as she'd come in.

I gasped, trying to forcefully drag the air back into my lungs and gripping the bars for support as I screamed out in frustration, pulling on them uselessly.

We were fucking trapped here.

**A/N: Short update, but another one is coming tomorrow! Please review and thank you! :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**(JPOV)**

I was in so much pain and felt so weak that even sitting upright took more effort than I had. I huffed out in frustration and heard Charlie wrestling against his own ropes in an attempt to somehow get free.

"They tied these good. Holy shit." He grunted. "Can't find a loose spot to work with."

"That's cause there isn't one. Save your strength. She'll come back and when she does, I have a plan."

"What? Care to share where your heads at so I know what the hell we're doing? I don't want you taking the blunt of her wrath like before."

"She can inflict pain just looking at you. I've never felt anything like it." I countered.

"What other abilities do you think she has?" Charlie questioned, his tone laced with worry when he scooted himself over next to me and his gaze going to the lantern she'd left by the cell. "You don't look good, Jake. What the hell did they give you?"

"I don't know." I truthfully replied. "I don't have any energy. It's like they took everything I had."

My body shook then but it wasn't from the tremors I craved or from the damp cold air around us. I feared it was from something else. That whatever they had used to drug me wasn't reacting to the wolf well.

"We're gonna find a way out of here, alright?" Charlie sighed.

I shook my head to him and met his concerned gaze as she tugged on the ropes around my wrists.

"I meant what I said to Jane before."

"Jacob, stop. I won't even hear that from you right now."

"Charlie, they'll kill her-" I forced out, the words making him still with his efforts and look my way.

"Bella would never want you to trade your freedom for hers and I am not leaving here without the both of you."

"I want her safe!" I fiercely replied.

"She will be! We're getting the hell out of here. One way or another!"

"Sam and the others are still far out. It could be days before they arrive."

"You don't have days." The shrill voice declared, suddenly coming out from the shadows. I felt the chill of her presence settle over my skin as she drew near to us. "He's not wrong."

"What the hell do you want from us?" Charlie yelled, getting to his feet and glaring daggers at her. He didn't even flinch at the sight of her blood red gaze staring back at him.

"It's simple, really. Aro isn't one to be crossed. This is the price to be paid for trying to deceive him. Bella made a promise and she failed to keep her end of the deal. She forced out hand."

"You look like a mere child." Charlie huffed back to her in reply, his disbelieving tone easy to hear when he spoke.

"I am forever frozen in time. Just the way you daughter was supposed to be. It is a shame that she disobeyed Aro. Had she done what she said, neither of you would be here now." Jane softly replied.

"You know everything about me, don't you? How long have you been watching us?"

"As long as we needed to. It was fascinating to bare witness to Bella's change in heart. How her devout loyalty went from Edward to Jacob so quickly."

"My daughter has always loved Jacob. So, I guess you missed a few things."

Jane narrowed her eyes to him and I cringed as I waited for the pain to hit him like it had me, only his screaming never came and when I looked back up at him, he was still standing and Jane had pulled away with a disdained and perplexed look plaguing her features.

"You're different?" She hissed at him. "I can't inflict pain on you."

This irritated her and I tried to move but couldn't find the strength to. My words of warning to him seeming to fall on deaf ears.

"Charlie, get away from her...-"

"You should heed Jacobs warning." Jane angrily warned. "There are other forms of torture."

"...but none you can use on me, right? Is that it? Have we stumbled across something to get under that ice cold skin of yours?" Charlie spat sarcastically to her and I half yelled to him in response.

"Charlie! Don't!"

Jane knelt down to my level, her red irises locking on my own with her hissed reply.

"I bet you feel like death right about now. Care to know why?"

"I already do."

"Have you figured it out? What it is that we gave you to take away your strength?"

I didn't bother to further humor her with an answer, but waited instead for her to confirm what I already feared. What it was I suspected when I could no longer phase or fucking move.

"Venom to your kind is supposed to be fatal."

"Is that what you gave him!?" Charlie yelled, reaching out through the bars for her, his boldness making me stagger up to my feet and move him back.

"...-as I was saying... our venom is deadly to you. The reason you feel like death is because Aro and Edward found a way to dull the effect of the venom when given in smaller and diluted doses. Much the same as the one we instructed the meaningless passerby to give you when he attacked you at the hotel you were staying in. For a normal human, the process of change can take anywhere from two to three days, but for you, and for the dose we administered into your bloodstream, it can take longer, but the end result is the same. It will still kill you in the end."

Charlie looked at me with eyes wide, his face pale and his hands balling into fists when he lashed back at her.

"Do something to stop it! I know you can!"

Jane smiled wickedly with a laugh that lacked any and all traces of humor in it.

I could feel it, in my very veins, like a ticking clock that was running down or an hourglass that was steadily pouring sand until no more remained.

"I have the cure here in my hand. The antidote you need to stay alive with minimal damage left to you and your abilities. It is you Jacob who will decide which way this little game of ours will play out. You have a choice to make."

I met her gaze and thought of Bella as the sweat began to pour from me, my limbs growing steadily more numb by the second as Jane waited for my reply.

"Tell me the deal you want to make."

She clutched the syringe tightly in her hand and raised her eyebrows at us in peaked curiosity at my words.

"The rules are easy and the deal even easier. I will give you the cure Jacob, if you call off the cavalry that's headed our way. You are the Alpha. They have to obey you. Send them back from where they came and sign your loyalty to Aro as part of his guard. If you do this, we will not only save you, but we'll let Bella and her father go. They can be free."

I held her blood thirsty gaze and felt the small glimmer of hope hit me at her request.

"You're afraid." I boldly stated. "You know that when the others get here and when I get free, I'll leave this fucking place in ash and ruins."

"What I know is that you're slowly dying!" She angrily hissed, thrusting the need toward me in taunting fashion. "... and I have a way to make that stop before your heart gives out, which I promise you that it surely will. You've already been down here a day. You will be lucky if you survive more than three. So, the way I see it, you had better make your choice and fast. What is it going to be, Jacob?"

I couldn't look away from her as the pain knocked the wind from me and forced me back down to the prison floor.

**A/N: Another short update but there's another one that will be posted tonight! Please look for it later and thank you for all your kind reviews! Till Next Time...**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**(JPOV)**

The torment that flooded through me made the darkness cloud my vision in a heavy and unyielding veil, as I crawled across the prison floor, held captive by the pain her gaze brought forth with just one look. I couldn't catch my breath. My insides feeling as if they had been set on fire with a lit match and chased through my veins by kerosene. I was being burned alive from the inside out. No other pain that I'd felt before could touch it.

Charlie screamed at her, but she didn't relent and I felt something inside me suddenly shift when the two of them became locked in a heated glare. Charlie didn't budge as he stared her down, the silence between them carrying on and the pain erasing itself from me so fast that I was almost certain I was hallucinating. That my body had taken all it could and my mind was shutting down to protect me from the rest.

Jane lurched forward when she saw me drag myself up, the screaming dying out in a distant echo as she shouted at Charlie.

"What are you!?"

He didn't answer her and this only enraged her further.

Jane's offer told me that the Volturi knew what was coming for them, and that they were aware of being evenly matched and it made them uncomfortable. This played highly in our favor.

"Do we have a deal or not?" Jane angrily hedged, her face twitching with her clear impatience now. She wasn't keen on waiting. "I don't have all day."

"I have my own demands." I choked out to her in reply, looking over to Charlie and noting his alarmed expression. "I want to see her. Now."

"Out of the question."

"Then you don't have jack shit, do you?" I bit back.

She glared at me, her lips set into a thin line and her eyes becoming dark with a seething rage. She was trying to inflict more pain but for some reason, she couldn't. Charlie's expression was full of triumph and a bit of confusion, as he tore his gaze from her and met my own.

"Are you daring to challenge us?" Jane then questioned. "Maybe, you're not as smart as we first took you for? Seems to me only a damn fool would play that hand because they will lose. Surely you know this!?"

"You know we won't lose! That's why you're down here trying to convince me to call off the war that's headed straight for you. If you were confident in the battle going only in your favor when all is said and done, then you'd be up there with Aro, preparing for the twisted fucking show you have planned for all those innocent people you plan on slaughtering tomorrow. Am I right?"

"You know nothing!" She snapped.

"I know a hell of a lot more than you think." I angrily countered.

"Don't be so overly confident. Things may not go the way you think, Jacob."

"I think they will."

"Tell me... do you think the venom we injected you with would play out the same way for Bella? That her change would be immediate? She isn't nearly as strong as you are. She's weak and vulnerable. A mere human. It could prove more fatal for her."

"Don't you touch her!" I roared. "I swear I'll-..."

"You'll what, Jacob? Tell me just what you're going to do behind prison bars?"

"Don't you dare hurt her."

"Then make the deal with us. Join Aro here in Voltera and give your loyalty to the guard. We have more to offer you than you think."

"I want nothing from any of you monsters except Bella."

"She's not yours anymore. She signed her fate over to us a long time ago. If you're so eager to see her, we can surely arrange that, but I'm not sure you'll like what you see. Aro has plans for her, too. He intends to let you watch. She will be of great use to him."

"What have you done to her? Tell me!" I shouted, the white hot rage I felt from her words now enough to make me rattle the prison bars that caged us in front of her. She stepped back, her red irises going wide when she saw the small pieces of concrete fall from above us at the force of my hands. "Looks like your venom cocktail is wearing off quicker than you thought it would."

I drew in a steadying breath as the fire wove it's way hastily up my spine and settled into my limbs, my eyes locking on hers while the fine concrete dust continued to fall. I embraced the fury and felt my skin heat, and the tremors I'd missed, come back to me with a renewed vigor. The furiosity of my movements made her dart forward with a hissed threat on her lips.

"I will kill her myself if you try and break free! I promise you that I will. She will die a slow and painful death."

I stilled my hands instantly at the sound of her promise and brought my face inches from hers. The stomach heaving and revolting stench from her closeness making me want to puke.

"I'm going to destroy you, Jane."

"You're stronger than all the others in your pack, but none of them, including you, will ever touch me. It's a true shame we're enemies, we could've had a little fun you and I. Now, you'll be nothing more than Aro's killer. That's what he'll use you for. To chase down the innocent. To guard what we have built here. "

I pulled away from her and moved myself in front of Charlie as she looked between us.

"I'll never work for him. You'll have to kill me first." I spat back to her.

"Your renewed strength doesn't mean what you think it does."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, your body will continue to wear down over the next three days before your heart gives out from the venom. These bouts of strength you're having are fleeting and they won't last. Even if you manage to shift and escape, you won't be able to do what you did before. Each bout of energy you have will only weaken you more when it's gone, until there's nothing left of you. Unless, of course, you choose to take the deal I've offered and accept the antidote I still have with me?"

"Go to hell." I replied, turning away from her as she offered her final and parting words to us.

"I surely will and I'll be taking Bella with me."

I whipped around to see her vanish from sight, her fast exit making my head spin from the speed and my anger flare again, as I thought of what she was planning to do to Bella.

"You can't accept her offer." Charlie stated. "There has to be another way."

"I can't live without Bella and I told you from the start of this trip that I wasn't leaving Voltera without her. If I take her deal, they'll set the both of you free."

"No!" Charlie yelled. "You listen to me! I don't know a whole hell of a lot about all this, but I do know that Bella would want the chance to fight before she would ever want you to stay here a prisoner! Give her that much!"

I placed my head against the bars, thinking of how he'd just stopped Jane from her painful wrath and not understanding how he'd done it.

"What was that before? With Jane? Tell me how you stopped her?"

"I don't even know. It's like... I focused on the pain she was causing you and how much I wanted her to stop and it pulled something out of me. I can't explain it."

"I've seen something similar happen with Bella. She stopped an attack with her mind. Some kind of mental shield. I think you've been the key all along, Charlie. I think you gave it to her. She's different. Special. That's why Aro wants her so bad. She has something that intrigues him, but I think we still have the element of surprise."

"How so?" Charlie hesitantly questioned.

"I don't think they know she's one of us. That she can phase. If that's the case, Bella can turn this around and switch the hand at play without Aro expecting it. This would change everything."

"Do you think they'll figure it out before she can act?"

"I don't know. Bella barely has her own abilities under control. She's stills so new to phasing. She would have to keep it hidden from them somehow."

"She could do it." Charlie confidently stated. "She could save us. Get us out of here."

"Yeah, she could." I agreed, meeting his optimistic gaze and glancing up toward the concrete ceiling as a sound I hadn't heard in week filtered in through the chaos in my head.

Bella's heartbeat.

The rhythm of it steady and even. I gripped the bars tightly in my hands, focusing on the sound that I had achingly missed more than my next breath since she'd been gone.

_I'm here, honey. I'm closer than you even know._

**A/N: Thank you for reading and for all the kind reviews. There will be another update tomorrow. Till then... **


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**(BPOV)**

The screaming that filled Aro's lair from Jacob was ear piercing as the slaughter began. Jane had kept her eyes locked on him for minutes and it was going to kill him if she didn't release her painful gaze. I saw nothing but red in return. The hatred I had for her stole away any reasoning or prior thought. I wanted that bitch destroyed for what she'd done to him. Sam tore through the mass in a rush and was soon locked in a death match with Aro, the two of them circling each other with loud roars and hissing, as Quil and Embry took Jane down and held her there beneath their massive paws. It broke her focus from Jacob and he fell to the floor with a choked gasp, his body in so much pain that he had shifted back to human form briefly before the tremors could take hold of him again. In an instant, he was back on all fours and snarling.

Jane screamed at them for the attack and tried to cripple Quil with her deadly gaze first, but I focused on the two of them, my shield projecting out past the chaos unfolding around us now, and effectively blocking her move before she could make it. Her head sharply whipped my way, her red eyes glowing with hatred and undiluted rage as I stalked toward her. Snarls poured from me and she became my only focus, creating a tunnel vision to cloud my mind and block out everything else around me.

I focused hard and manipulated the shields hold, stretching it out further toward Jacob as she struggled to get away from Embry and Quil. She hissed furiously and tried to crush Jacob with the same pain she had from before. He screamed out in agony through the pack mind only once, the sound of it forcing me forward in desperation to protect him in the only way I could right now. My thoughts reached him first before the impenetrable shield had reached far enough to stop her attack.

_"I won't let her hurt you, Jacob."_

I heard the shrilling sound of Jane's final scream then as Embry tore into her throat and Quil finished her off, the two of them phasing back to human form just long enough to set her remains on fire. I dropped the shield and turned just in time to hear Jacob's warning as Alec barreled his way into me from the side, the hit knocking me down as we rolled. He was enraged and I felt my ribs crack, sending a shearing pain through me when his vice like arms wrapped forcefully around my middle. I fought back, trying to break his hold and remembering what had happened to Jacob in the newborn battle when one of them had done the same to him. Alec's strength was weakened in comparison but his ability to crush me was still there. Given my size alone and inexperience, he knew I wouldn't be able to fight him off alone.

I shrieked as another rib cracked, whipping my head around and thrashing as I tried desperately to get free from him. The warm voice I heard in my head covered the pain and made the throbbing dissipate just from the sound of his words.

_"Hold on, honey. I'm coming. Just hold on for me."_

Jacob pulled furiously on the chains with a final deafening and thunderous roar then, the force of it ripping them out of the floor like they were suddenly weightless to him. Alec hissed and tightened his grip around me just as Jacob charged our way. He plowed into Alec, knocking him away from me, the power behind the blow enough to crack the marble floor beneath them as they began to fight to the death. I collapsed in a heap there, feeling my aching body pretest the movement. Jacob's thoughts were vile and murderous when he swiftly ripped away Alecs left leg. The crackling sound making me mentally cringe.

"_I'm gonna tear you apart you filthy fucking parasite."_

I forced myself back up and ignored the pain as I spotted Seth struggling to get the upper hand with a furious and lethal Demetri. I tore off after them, soon taking hold of Demetri's arm with a snarl and dragging him backwards while Seth took the lunge for the kill. His thoughts of gratitude and concern spreading through the pack mind before we went on to another.

_"Thanks, Bella. Stay close. I have your back."_

We took on three more of Aro's guard together before moving on to over a dozen more, destroying them all as a team, and huffing when the thick purple smoke filled the room around us like a heavy blanket. I felt as if I was on auto-pilot. Like I was detached from my own body, as I watched Quil and Paul phase back and toss the many ripped apart pieces of the Volturi's guard into the growing pile stacked high in the middle of the room.

I could feel my energy depleting more and more after every attack, but I kept pushing through, my wolf gaze meeting Jacobs more than once when he rushed to Sams aid and helped him swiftly end the long fight with Aro. We had the upper hand and we were winning, but when Sam whipped around to face Felix, the battle swiftly changed.

I heard Jacobs roar and felt his panic as it ran through the pack mind, striking each of us and starting a frenzy when a flood of thirsty newborns suddenly rushed in around us, all of them with eyes of bright crimson red.

_"Sam! We're surrounded!"_ Jacob roared, running toward Seth and I and taking a protective stance in front of me.

_"Where did they all come from?"_ Seth nervously hedged.

_"We're fucking outnumbered."_ Paul snarled, taking hold of the first newborn with a viscous whip of his head and ripping out his throat.

Jacob's wolf form began to shake in front of me, his huffing and snarling growing louder as he backed himself up further, pushing the rest of us against the far wall.

_"We can take them."_ He huffed._ "Destroy them all. Burn their ashes till nothing remains."_

It was heard through the pack like a battle cry and I watched in utter disbelief as Jacobs size grew right in front of our eyes, leaving us all stunned behind him. His new height and massive build now coming to be nearly twice what Sam was in stature.

We spread out and I felt the fear wash over me when Seth tried to attack the first newly turned man in front of him by himself. The two of them sparring off and Seth taking several blows before he destroyed him.

There were too many...

I roared viscously as the flood of them headed straight for us, causing Jacob to charge forward and meet them head on. He took on three of them at one time and I fought faithfully by his side. The two of us anticipating the other ones move before it had been made and tearing into anything we came into contact with. Some of the newly turned were so young, looking to be no more than mere teenagers and it made me pause longer than I should have. I backed away from the petite dark haired girl who hissed my way and showed her venom soaked fangs, the sight of her child like face making me hesitate. Jacob read my thoughts and took hold of her from behind, ending it quicker than I could have found the courage to.

We didn't stop because we couldn't stop. We pushed tirelessly through pain and broken bones and odds that were suddenly stacked against us.

I couldn't keep count of how many I'd taken on myself, let alone tally up all the others. I tried not to think of the faces behind the red eyes that came at me in endless pairs, but I couldn't stop.

They had all belonged to someone. They had all been taken away from a life they used to have and a reality they used to know. It was cruel and I felt my remaining stamina drain out of me as the numbers began to steadily turn back in our favor. We were dwindling them down.

**A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews. There will be another update tomorrow. Till next time...**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**(BPOV)**

We were defeating them, steadily knocking back the numbers and lighting their remains on fire to burn. Some of them even seemed to be hesitant in their attack, as if they knew this would be their own demise. That they had met their match.

I watched the ravenous newborns continue to fight on while they ran for their next target and I heard the cuss that left Sam when one of them struck Seth hard enough to knock him down and try to crush hip with their concrete grip. I headed for him, my running advance being brought up short when Cauis darted out in front of me and struck me hard across the muzzle. The hit left me dizzy and disoriented as I lunged for him, my jaws snapping inches above him when something collided into me with the speed and weight of a runaway freight train. The sound of my bones breaking made me inwardly cringe, and I heard the sharp crackling of the floor beneath us as we rolled over and over, my wolf gaze focusing in on Felix's blood red gaze as he swiftly got back on his feet and came at me with a seething rage etched into his stony face. I tore into him without mercy then, ripping off half of his right hand when he attempted to strike me again. I managed the block the hit but when Caius called my name and I whipped my head his way to see my father in front of him, all the fight in me died out as the choking fear took hold.

I screamed out in my head, the sound echoing through the pack mind and causing them all to look toward Caius as he hauled Charlie out in front of him and pulled his head back before hissing our way with his venom soaked fangs glinting and eager.

No.. No... not Charlie.

I met my fathers gaze as he shook his head to me, telling me to stay put, our silent conversation making me momentarily forget all about Felix who used this opportunity to jab a needle into the side of my neck. The moment I felt the small puncture, I knew what it was and I snarled his way, jerking forward and tearing his head from his stone cold body in mere seconds.

The room began to spin around me as the heavy and unmoving black spots steadily filled my vision. I huffed and staggered forward. The last thing I saw was Marcus attacking Jacob as he fought to get to me.

_"No!"_ He yelled, the distraught sound of it filling every part of me as I tried to keep going.

They still needed me.

Jacob needed me and Charlie needed me.

Pain like nothing I've ever known rocked through me and I fell to the floor, my white fur disappearing and replaced with my pale skin, as  
I laid there naked and violently shuddering as the blood curdling screams tore through me. I could feel it coursing it's way through me and I knew this would be the end.

"We warned you! You shouldn't have crossed us! Now you'll pay the ultimate price!" Marcus yelled to Jacob and Sam as I tried to drag myself up, my arms and legs numb and my insides lit with a raging fire that was trying to consume me.

"Jacob." I gasped, my voice nearly that of a whispered breath.

A mass of russet fur flew in front of me and I heard the shriek that came from Marcus as his body fell limp to the ground beside me, his head falling only a few inches away from my own. I writhed there under the pain, my back arching and my body convulsing when my eyes locked on the fire burning ahead of me.

We had nearly beaten them all. We had been victorious in the fight. I looked around and did a count of all the other members of the pack, of my family. They were all accounted for and none of them were broken beyond repair.

I watched Paul hastily rip apart the last two newborns with Quil by his side and I curled in on myself further when the thunderous roar came from Jacob.

Everything happened so fast then. It felt like a dream or a nightmare. Before I could scream again, he was there. My Jacob. My sun in the dark world. My warmth from the cold.

He took hold of me, his strong arms cradling me to him as the others rushed in around us.

"Bells, honey."

I clung to him and heard the familiar voice carry out to me somewhere off in the distance.

"I can help her."

"Don't touch her!" Jacob angrily replied, his whole body tensing with his words.

That voice. That hauntingly familiar but nearly forgotten voice.

I heard Sam next, his tone cautious but pleading.

"He may be her only chance, Jacob. You know what will happen if the venom continues to spread. We don't have time-"

Jacob's dark eyes were full of agony when they met mine and I struggled not to scream out again as more fire trickled down through my arms and legs.

"Come with me. I can help you!" Carlisle insisted, as the sound of another voice cut in. One that I recognized the softness from immediately.

"Jacob, he knows what he's doing and you're running out of time. Give her to him. He can do it." Esme timidly stated.

"We'll stay with her. The whole time." Sam added, reaching out for me as Jacob got to his feet and pressed me tighter to him.

"I'm not going anywhere, honey. I'll be right here. It's gonna be okay."

I lost the battle of consciousness when I was passed to a different set of arms, ones that were cold and not the ones I craved right now.

We had won against them all.

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: New chapter will be posted tonight as promised yesterday. Till then!**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**(BPOV)**

I could hear the many hushed voices that frantically spoke around me, all of their words seeming to run together and making me flinch away from the harsh light coming from above. It was near blinding. My eyes struggled to adjust and I winced when I tried to move.

My body felt as if it had been thrown down a flight of stairs or hit by a bus.

I was confused and disoriented.

"She's been out for a whole day, her body will heal. She just needs some more time, Charlie. I assure you, Bella will be okay."

Carlisle's voice was even and soft with my father and I tried to sit up, feeling the soft bedding underneath me and hearing Charlie's emotional reply.

"She's so pale."

"Her body has been through a lot, but we got the venom out in time. Any lasting effects will wear off in a few more days."

I shied away from the light and looked down to see the IV still attacked to my arm. My lids felt heavy and when I opened my mouth to call the name that my heart was screaming for, the sudden feel of warm hands skimming up my arms made my breath hitch and I forced my eyes open to see him there hovering above me.

Jacobs face was full of worry when he reached for me, his husky voice calming some of the madness in my head.

"Bells, it's okay, honey. You're alright."

I let a choked breath of relief and took hold of him, his strong arms pulling me into his tight embrace and settling me on his lap.

"Wh-Where am I?"

"You're home, honey. In your room at Charlie's. He's just downstairs with Carlisle."

"Am I-... I can't remember how I got here?"

I saw Jacobs fallen expression and tried to recall the last thing I could about Voltera but nothing was clear to me. Everything felt hazy and distant.

"That may not be bad thing."

My eyes studies his face once more before wandering down to his bare torso and arms. The gasp that left me was loud when I leaned forward ang trailed my fingertips along his forearm. His russet skin was marked with new tattoos and I shook my head in an attempt to clear it, fearing I had missed far more than he was letting on.

"What are these? Where did they come from?"

"They appeared after you went missing. After Aro took you, honey. They led me to you, well, before Alice convinced us to go along with her plan."

"Alice? Is she here? What about all the others? Please tell me no one was hurt?!"

"Everyone is downstairs, honey. Alice and Esme have been here aiding Carlisle since last night." He explained.

"... and Edward?"

Jacob shook his head to me with a tight expression lingering on his face.

"He took off after the battle, Bella. They don't know where he is."

I pressed my forehead to his and tried to keep my head about me as I pondered Edwards whereabouts or what he could be up to.

"What about the rest of the Volturi? The guard? I was afraid I'd never see you again. That Aro would kill me before-"

Jacob hushed my words with a soft kiss, his reply strained and earnest when he huskily replied to me.

"We destroyed them all and he didn't, honey. You're back home and safe with me."

"Tell me what they did to you?" I asked, remembering bits and pieces of things before the chaos unfolded.

"It doesn't matter. None of it does. I have you back. The rest is... not worth mentioning, honey."

"Are you sure you're okay? Nothing's broken or not healing or-..."

He tightened his grip on me and I basked in the comforting feel of his crushing hold.

"I'll be fine. Doc says there could be some lingering side effects but that I should be as good as new before too long. Tell me how you feel. Do you hurt anywhere? Are you sore?"

"A little." I confessed, laying my head on his shoulder and looking toward the door when it creaked open and Charlie stepped in.

"I thought I heard the two of you in here talking. I'm so glad to see you awake, kiddo." He sighed heavily, reaching out a hand to touch my cheek. "Sue just got here. She's down in the kitchen making some home made chicken noddle soup for you. I'll bring it up when it's ready. Carlisle and the others are clearing out. Told them you'd need some space to heal."

"Thanks, dad." I replied, standing slowly on unsteady legs and hugging him close as I thought of the last time I saw him and how damn close I'd come to losing him in Voltera.

"Love you, Bella." Charlie whispered, before placing a kiss to my forehead and heading back downstairs. I took notice of the look he and Jacob shared briefly as he left and it made me shudder. They had been through something while in Aro's lair, and I was certain they were choosing to keep it from me for my own good right now.

"You're going to tell me later, right? What really happened in there at the end?"

Jacob slowly nodded and let his lips graze my cheek as he struggled to answer me.

"...after you're better... healed fully. I'll tell you everything, honey."

After a few more minutes, I made my way to the bathroom, wanting a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes before trying to eat anything. Jacob helped me undress and waited outside the door while I cleaned up. I could see the faint lines of discoloration that marked my pale skin under the waters flow. Some of my bruises were taking longer than normal to heal and I wondered what that meant. My chest and ribs were sore so I was careful with my movements as I dressed and piled my wet hair in a loose bun on top of my head.

I caught sight of my reflection then, the dark circles casting deep shadows under my eyes, despite how long I'd been out already. I felt thoroughly exhausted and looked like death. I soon opened the door and shot Jacob an apologetic look.

"You didn't tell me I looked so horrible."

"You're perfect." He countered, wrapping an arms around me as we crossed the hall back into my room.

"You lie." I half chuckled, the vibration in my chest from it, making me wince when I sat down on the edge of my bed.

"No, you just don't see what I see."

I gingerly touched the side of his face, seeing the way his own eyes were heavy and how his dark circles from the lack of rest now matched mine.

"Does the pack expect you for patrol tonight?" I timidly asked.

"No, Sam and Paul are covering. I'm not leaving your side."

I offered him a weak smile and pulled back the comforters.

"I don't want you to." I admitted, looking up to see him hunker down in front of me, his dark eyes searching mine with an urgency in them.

"I have something to show you." He stated, reaching over to my nightstand and handing me an envelope. I tore it open and skimmed the lettering.

"When did you get these?"

"Alice left them here for you. I told her to wait but-..."

I looked down to see the divorce papers already signed by Edward and I didn't hesitate to pick up the pen laying close by and scribble my own name below his.

I shoved them back in the envelope and handed them to Jacob, seeing his dark gaze filled with uncertainty about the haste in my decision. I took his handsome face in my hands and placed a kiss to his full lips.

"It's always been you. I never should have married him to begin with. You're what my heart wants, Jacob. I don't wanna be without you anymore. I love you and I'm staying right here in Washington. If you'll have me, of course."

He drew me close to him, his whispered words causing my eyes to fill with tears because it wasn't the first time I'd heard them.

"Kwop Kilawtley."

His breath ghosted against my lips as I inched my face closer to his.

"I'll stay with you forever, Jacob."

**THE END**

**A/N: Thank you for reading and for the kind reviews.**


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